Manju Bhargavi

Artist Name: Smt Manju Bhargavi
Place: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
School/Organization: NatyaVedam

Website(s):

Youtube:
Interviews: Interview in the Hindu

Contact:
#65 Charles Campbell road,
Cox town,
Bangalore

Profile and picture posted with permission from the artist.

Beginning her training in Dance, at the age of nine, at the Kuchipudi Art Academy, Chennai, Manju Bhargavi gave her first performance at the age of 13, in the Kuchipudi style, which she loves and adores. She has given over 1600 solo and ballet performances not only in every nook and corner of India but also all over the world in countries such as USA, UK, Canada, Europe, Singapore, Africa, Gulf Countries and Sri Lanka.

Trained under the renowned Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam, she at a very young age imbibed and perfected the most difficult and intricate features of KUCHIPUDI which distinguishes the art form from all other dance traditions. She has taken part in lead roles in Kuchipudi dance ballets composed and choreographed by her Guru. She has done the roles of Lord Venkateswara in Padmavathi Srinivasa Kalyanam, Sri Krishna in Sri Krishna Parijatham, Siva in Harivilasam to name a few. She has left an everlasting impression on the minds of her admirers because of her utmost involvement, devotion, sculptural poses and a winsome stage presence resulting in her having won several coveted titles such as NATYARANI, NATYA MAYURI.

Having formed her own troupe in 1978, Manju Bhargavi has performed not only within the Country but also around the globe with gaiety and grace, permeating through the hearts of millions and millions of her fans. With her legendary frame, magical limbs, expressive eyes and total involvement in the character she enacts, she builds an immediate rapport with the audience sending them into hysterics with her very revered vigor. Her frozen postures are as aesthetic, enchanting and vibrant and as expressive as her effortless quick movements...

The national and internationally famous musical all time hit SHANKARABHARANAM is a feather in her cap, although she prefers live stage performances to films.

The Telugu University has conferred her the title “UTTAM SAHITI MURTHY”. She also won the Sri Vedantam Jaganath Sharma Vamsee Berkeley Award in the year 1991-92.

The Government of Karnataka conferred her the prestigious “RAJYOTSAVA AWARD” in the year 2004, in recognition of her contribution to Dance.

She has been performing the role of Sathyabhama in the most famous and traditional Kuchipudi dance drama “BHAMA KALAPAM” written by none other than the great Saint Composer Sri. Siddendra Yogi. “NAVA DURGA’s life story is another dance drama which she and her troupe perform.

Manju Barggavee is the Chairperson for the Kuchipudi Syllabus Committee, Government of Karnataka.

She is a Senate Member – for Performing Arts at the All Women’s University, Tirupathi.

She runs a Dance School – “NATYAVEDAM” - in Bangalore. About 40 students are learning the Kuchipudi style of Dance under her. She has conducted a couple of Dance Festivals during the nineties in Bangalore. Her performances are prestigious programmes for Doordarshan Network.

She plans to start a Kuchipudi Research Center in Bangalore. She also plans to propagate Kuchipudi, exploiting the communication media. Another of her ambitions is to propagate and promote the rich cultural heritage of the Country in the minds of the younger generation, by giving performances and training the students in our ancient arts, particularly Kuchipudi Dance.

Once a famous Dance critic rightly said – Manju Bhargavi is wedded to Dance.