Bharatanatyam Dance : Natyarangam - by Sathyanarayana Raju and Lakshmi Gopalaswamy

Bhoopala Bharatham:The Wodeyars of Mysore

Resource person: Vikram Sampath
Dancers: Sathyanarayana Raju and Lakshmi Gopalaswamy

One of the longest reigning royal families (they ruled for over 600 years), the Wodeyars emerged as the supreme power in this region. Their contributions can be still seen in every sphere of Karnataka, be it the KRS Dam (second largest reservoir in the world), the Sivanasamudra hydro-electric project or the grand Dusserah celebrations of Mysore, which began in 1610 in the Vijayanagara tradition.

The scholars and dancers are unanimous in expressing the pertinence of this year's theme for Natyarangam. "These kings laid the foundation on which modern South India has emerged. They have to be remembered, not just in history text books, but also in the way we try to shape our society. They led by setting an example. There are many lessons to be learnt from them even today."