The Hindu : Kerala News : Artistry of speaking

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

Artistry of speaking

Neena Prasad

Artistes could be fine speakers too. The website launch of Nrityalaya School for Classical Dance and Music at the Tagore Centenary Hall in Kozhikode recently day saw actor Murali, playback singer G. Venugopal and Mohiniyattom dancer Neena Prasad make nice speeches.

Murali, who is also the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi chairman, talked at length about theatre. His speech revealed his vast reading on the subject, as he explained to the large gathering, in his familiar, heavy voice, about drama in the East and the West.

Venugopal made a valid point about how dancers vanish into thin air after fighting it out fiercely in the school and university youth festivals. “I haven’t seen any of them taking up dance as a profession, except Neena,” he said. Neena has of course dedicated her life to dance and is one of the finest performers in Mohiniyattom today. In her speech, she said how surprised she was, while doing her research, to find scholarly books on Indian art written by foreigners. “In one of the books I saw a rare picture of Vyjayanthimala in Mohiniyattom costume,” she said.

P. K. Ajith Kumar

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