Sri Vempati Chinna Satyam

[mohan]

Renowned dancer and guru of the Kuchipudi style, Sri Vempati Chinna Satyam passed away today, aged 83.

He revolutionised the style and made it popular all over the world.
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/n ... 30758.html

[thanjavooran]

Deep concolences to his family and disciples.

Thanjavooran 29 07 2012

[mohan]

More detailed report at http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/che ... 700434.ece

[mahavishnu]

My sincere condolences.

[cienu]

Condolences on the passing away of one of our Greatest Dancers and Guru.

[smala]

Sorry and sad to hear of this esteemed guru passing away. His contributions to the tradition and art form will keep him alive through the performances of his disciples.

[rshankar]

My sincere condolences. He will certainly be missed.

[RaviSri]

He was an institution by himself. He had come up the hard way, grinding poverty being his own. He walked all the way from his native village to Madras in order to learn kuchipudi. Some good samaritan sponsored his room rent and his meals. He was so enamoured of Bharatantyam Kamala's dance that he would sell one of his meal tickets to buy tickets for her performance to which venue however faraway, he would walk. In the process he didn't mind going hungry. Such was his thirst for great art and knowledge. He felt greatly honoured when Kamala herself knocked his door once, after he had established himself as a kuchipudi guru, not to learn the art herself, but to recommend that her two younger sisters Rhadha and Vasanthi be taught kuchipudi by him.

He learnt abhinaya from Vedantam Lakshminarayana Sastri, from whom Balasaraswati also learnt. The dance form of Kuchipudi owes its popularity in no small measure due to him. His favourite disciple was Chandrakala who's exit from the art form and entry into films he never could reconcile with. He was always saying that he had lost his best disciple to cinema.

In 1986, dance gurus from all dance disciplines were invited by Krishna Gana Sabha to perform. Mohiniyattam's Kalyanikutti Amma, Mysore Venkatalakshmamma, Kathak's Sitara Devi, Odissi's Kelucharan Mahapatra were some of the stalwarts who attended and gave great performances. He gave a sterling performance of authentic kuchipudi that put to shame his ace disciples.

Vempatti's death creates a great void in the art scene of not only this country but the whole world itself.

[rshankar]

RaviSri - very eloquent. Thank you.
Was he responsible for creating a solo mArgam for kucipuDi?