The Kendra is an institute of eminence engaged in the training and preservation of traditional Indian Music and Dance and the propagation of the country’s cultural heritage and values through the staging of Dance Dramas based on its rich Mythology, History and Folklore. The Kendra has a vibrant Cultural Centre in the heart of New Delhi housing a College of Classical Music and Dance, a professional Dance Drama Company and a world class auditorium.
The Kendra’s college of Music & Dance founded in 1952, has a long established reputation for excellence in the field of performing arts. It is a lively cultural centre reflecting a fusion of rich artistic traditions and contemporary insights. The College offers training in major classical dance styles and music of India, namely Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Odissi and Chhau dances and Hindustani Classical Vocal and Instrumental Music. Eminent gurus of these disciplines supervise the teaching programmes to help the students excel in their subject of study.
Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra’s Repertory is one of the major dance companies in India, specializing in the genre of Indian dance drama or ‘Nritya-Natya. It has also presented dance choreographies ‘Nritya Sanrachna’ based on specific style of Indian Classical dance. Though its first dance production ‘Barkha Bahaar’ was created as early as 1952, Kendra’s serious foray into the world of dance dramas commenced in 1957 when it was asked by the then Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru to present a large production on the epic of Ramayana. This three hour production based on Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas, covering the life of Lord Rama from his birth to coronation, ran to packed houses in the then Football Stadium of Delhi and became a landmark in the contemporary history of Indian dance drama.
Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra has completed more than six decades of dedicated work in promoting and propagating various forms of Indian Classical Music and Dance. The Kendra, which started in a small way in 1952, has during the past 65 years emerged as one of the leading cultural organizations of the country. A large part of the Kendra’s success is attributable to the untiring work, inspiration and guidance provided by its Founder Smt. Sumitra Charat Ram. To recognize her invaluable contribution, the Kendra has instituted an annual Award in her name
Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra’s magnum opus based on the Indian epic of Ramayana, first produced in 1957 as ‘Ramlila’ and since been staged every year for a month during the festival of Dussehra (September–October). Created and designed in the distinctive dance-drama mould of the Kendra and a popular event in Delhi’s annual calendar.
The Music Festival owes its inception to an All Night Musical Soirée organised by the Kendra’s Founder Smt. Sumitra Charat Ram on the Country’s independence eve on 15th August 1947. Most of the greatest names of Indian Classical Music of that time such as Ustad Allauddin Khan, Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan, Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan , Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan ,Pt. Samta Prasad , Pt. Pannalal Ghosh participated in that event and enthralled the audience till the wee hours of the morning.
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