Toronto: Gayathridevi Vijayakumar, principal and artistic director of Nupura School of Music and Dance Toronto, was an active participant and winner of Kerala School Youth Festivals during the period of 1986-89. A Kalathilakam for 3 times in the Malappuram Revenue District School Kalolsavam and winner in Bharathnatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchupudi, Folk and Malayalam Recitation.
25 years later her daughter Uthara Menon is participating in the 54th School Kalolsavam, which will be inaugurated today at Palakkad, in Kerala. (Last year, Uthara got the ‘A’ Grade for Bharathanatyam.)
In the above Malayalam article, published by Malayala Manorama [Palakkad Edition], Gayathri reminisces about her good old school youth festival days.
School Arts Festival of Kerala (Kerala School Kalolsavam) is an annual event conducted by the state government of Kerala, featuring several arts competitions for high school and higher secondary school students studying under the Kerala syllabus. The participants are the champions from similar events held at the district levels. The festival was started in 1956, and till 2008, it was known as “State School Youth Festival”.
Gayathridevi Vijayakumar has been involved with South Indian classical music and dance for more than 20 years. She has learnt classical music in traditional Gurukula style under renowned musicians such as P.Madhusoodhana Menon (disciple of maestro G.N. Balasubramaniam), Kunjuraman Nair (disciple of the great Chembai Vaidyanath Bagavathtiar). In Classical dances she studied Barathanatyam, Mohiniyattam & Kuchipudi under Kalamandalam Sarojam and Kalamandalam Chandrika. She has a wealth of experience performing in hundreds of stage shows and in teaching classical music and dance. In vocal, currently seeking guidance from Smt Raji Gopalakrishnan.
Through her school – Nupura School of Music and Dance, Toronto- she imparts her skills in Carnatic Music, Bharathanatyam, Mohiniyattam and Kuchupudi to almost 120 students. Her schools are located at:
SCARBOROUGH: [SATURDAY 9:30 am to 4:30 pm; SUNDAY 10 am to 12:30 pm ] at:#430, Tapscott Road, M1B1Y4.,
BRAMPTON: [SUNDAY 2:30pm to 6:30 pm] at:#8 Automatic Road, Buillding – A, unit- 5 L6S 5N4,
MISSISSAUGA: [FRIDAY 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm ] at: 5155, Spectrum, L4w5A1
LONDON: [TUESDAY 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm] at: Berry Hill Palace, London.
Report by: Jaison Mathew[WNN]
