Rukmini Devi Arundale: 1904-1986

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Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904-1986) was a towering, multifaceted personality who worked for many causes, including the revival of theatre, arts, rafts, literature, animal welfare, Theosophy and art education. The essays in this book endeavour to capture the multifaceted cultural and aesthetic legacy of Rukmini Devi preserved both in India and abroad. They are authored by a wide range of Indian and international scholars, including dance critics, dance administrators, dancers, dance teachers, bureaucrats, and alumni of the world-renowned Kalakshetra arts institution that Rukmini Devi founded in 1936. the authors delineate specific aspects of her public life as a Bharatanatyam dancer, Theosophist, arts educator, institution builder, teacher, producer of dance dramas, and Chairman of the Animal Welfare Board. The essays also discuss Rukmini Deviâ€™s aesthetic vision in relation to history, to tradition, to classicism, her engagement with canonical Sanskrit texts, her creation of ensemble dance-drama productions, and contemporary dance in the United Kingdom.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Avanthi Meduri

Dr. Avanthi Meduri is a Dance and Performance Studies scholar. Trained since childhood in Bhartanatyam and Kuchipudi, Dr. Meduri works in the field of dance education, women's theatre and performance. She holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from New York University, and is the Academic and Artistic Director of the Centre for Contemporary Culture, New Delhi. As part of her Ford Foundation post doctoral fellowship in India, Meduri curated Rukmini Devi's photo-archive, creating a travelling exhibition, which she presented in New Delhi, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Singapore, colombo, Kandy, London, Tokyo, and Melbourne. Keduri's book on Rukmini Devi, including a play dealing with her life as a global India, is forthcoming. Entitled Birds of the Banyan Tree, the play was presented in New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai, as part of the Birth Centenary celebrations of Rukmini Devi Arundale.