Sri Rajarajeshwari Kalaniketan rings in golden jubilee with Samanvay Arts Festival

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Veena Murthy Vijay says Kuchipudi captured her heart | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Sri Rajarajeshwari Kalaniketan, founded in 1976 by P.N.S. Murthy in Bengaluru, has focused on classical arts and trained students in Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam for five decades. The space has become synonymous with learning, performing.

Murthy, a tax consultant and a patron of the arts, introduced his daughter Veena Murthy Vijay to Kuchipudi when she was 14. . “Though I started training in Bharatanatyam and Kathak, it was Kuchipudi that captured my heart. My guru, Korada Narasimha Rao, would travel from Ellur to Bangalore to teach me and insisted I first learn to read and write Telugu before attempting to interpret its literature,” recalls Venna.

Veena admits that taking his legacy forward is both an honour and a responsibility. .

The institute’s academic wing, MLA College, affiliated with the Karnataka State Dr Gangubai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University, Mysuru, offers advanced programmes, including a master’s in Bharatanatyam and diplomas in Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam.

Beyond teaching, Samanvay Foundation of Arts (founded by Veena, which runs alongside Sri Rajarajeshwari Kalaniketan), “anchors our festival initiatives. These include the Nrutya Rangoli at Chowdiah Memorial Hall in collaboration with the Academy of Music and the Bangalore International Arts Festival, which annually hosts artistes from more than 15 countries, creating a vibrant platform for global cultural exchange,” she shares.

To mark its golden jubilee, the institute is organising a day-long Samanvay Arts Festival 2026, It will stage Satyabhama , the iconic Kuchipudi dance-drama attributed to Siddhendra Yogi. It will be performed by eminent Lakshmi Gopalaswamy (Bharatanatyam), Vidha Lal (Kathak), Gopika Varma (Mohiniyattam), Veena (Kuchipudi) with Mysore B. Nagaraj.

This will be followed by Apsara – The Celestial Nymph , a special dance feature, depicting the stories of 11 Apsaras — featuring Prateeksha Kashi, Shama Krishna, Mudra Dhananjay, Suvin Prasad and Vandana Supriya among others.

Bharatanatyam dancer Lakshmi Gopalaswamy | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The event, on September 19, will be presented at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bengaluru.

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