Mylapore Gowri Ammal
Mylapore Gowri Ammal | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gowri Ammal 1892 |
| Died | 22 January 1971 (aged 78–79) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Other names | Mylapore Gowri Amma |
| Occupation | Bharatanatyam dancer |
| Awards | Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1959) |
Mylapore Gowri Ammal also known Mylapore Gowri Amma (1892–1971) was a bharathanatyam dancer from Mylapore India. She was a temple dancer in Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore. In 1959, she received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for bharathanatyam.
Biography
Mylapore Gowri Ammal was born on 1892, in a Devadasi family of Mylapore, Tamil Nadu.[2] Her mother Doraikannu Ammal was also a dancer. She learned dance from Nelluru Munuswamy Nattuvanar and also from her mother. Born into a family of temple dancers, she was the last person to serve at the Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore.[3] She lived in a small house given to her by the Kapaleeswarar temple, until a law was passed banning temple dancing.[3] Having lost her guardianship and home, she survived the rest of her life by teaching dance.[3]
She died on 22 January 1971.[4]
Career
Gowri Ammal started her dancing career as a temple dancer in Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore. Ammal is often referred to as the last devadasi of the Kapaleeshwarar temple.[5] She danced for the deity in the temple until the Indian government banned the Devadasi system in 1947, under the Madras Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act.[6]
As part of E. Krishna Iyer's efforts to support Bharatanatyam and have it recognised as an art form, and not dismiss it as part of a social reform movement, since it was based on the Devadasi system, in 1932, Gauri Ammal danced at the Madras Music Academy.[3] Ammal gained fame in 1936 when Rukmini Devi Arundale, her first student approached her to become her Bharatanatyam guru.[7] Rukmini had come to the Kapaleeswarar temple to ask her to come to the Kalakshetra, to teach her the subtleties of "abhinaya" (acting).[7]
Gauri Ammal's abhinaya (acting), bhava (face expression) and musical talent in the Bharatanatyam performance were widely noted.[8] She last performed on a public stage at the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the Indian National Congress in 1935.[3]
Notable disciples
Many notable dancers, including Balasaraswati,[3] Rukmini Devi Arundale,[3] Sudharani Raghupathy,[9] Kalanidhi Narayanan,[10] Sonal Mansingh,[11] Yamini Krishnamurthy[12] and Nirmala Ramachandran[13] were students of Gauri Ammal.
Awards and honors
She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for bharathanatyam in 1959.[2] She also received award from Madras Music Academy.[3]
References
- ^ "Mylapore Gowri Amma". Oxford Reference. doi:10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100219821?p=emailaywspgmdih8ua&d=/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100219821 (inactive 1 July 2025). Retrieved 23 January 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link) - ^ a b Mahābhāratī, Saṅgīt (2011), The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Music of India, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780195650983.001.0001, ISBN 978-0-19-565098-3, archived from the original on 3 December 2023, retrieved 23 January 2025
- ^ a b c d e f g h Viswanathan, Lakshmi (26 August 2021). "Gowri Ammal's place in the annals". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "From the Archives (January 22, 1971): Mylapore Gowri Amma". The Hindu. 21 January 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "There's more to mylai than kapali". www.dtnext.in. 10 September 2023. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ The Triumph of Mylapore Gauri Ammal: A Short Incursion into Dance Genetics | Taylor & Francis Group. Taylor & Francis. doi:10.1201/9781003121138-14. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ a b Foster, S. (10 June 2009). Worlding Dance. Springer. ISBN 978-0-230-23684-4.
- ^ Meduri, Avanthi (2005). Rukmini Devi Arundale, 1904-1986: A Visionary Architect of Indian Culture and the Performing Arts. Motilal Banarsidass Publishe. ISBN 978-81-208-2740-0.
- ^ Venkatesh, Vidya Gowri (18 May 2017). "Abhinayas that move you to tears". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Sai, Veejay (27 February 2016). "A tribute to Kalaninidhi Narayanan, one of the first modern gurus of 'Abhinayam'". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "Sonal Mansingh". sites.ualberta.ca. University of Alberta. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "Yamini Krishnamurthy: A dancing diva who mesmerised all". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 16 September 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ MyTimes, Team (25 February 2011). "MYLAPORE TIMES - Obit: Nirmala Ramachandran". MYLAPORE TIMES.