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Indian classical dancer
E Krishna Iyer
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Born
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1897-08-09
)
9 August 1897
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Died
| 1968 (age 71)
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E. Krishna Iyer
(9 August 1897 ? January 1968) was an Indian lawyer, freedom-fighter, classical artist and activist. He was the follower of traditional Isaivellalar practitioners of Sadir, also known as
Bharatanatyam
.
Early life
[
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]
Krishna Iyer was born on 9 August 1897 in a
Tamil Brahmin
family of
Kallidaikurichi
,
Madras Presidency
.
[1]
He had his schooling at Ambasamudram High School and graduated from
Madras Christian College
. On graduating, he studied law at
Madras Law College
[1]
and practised as a lawyer at the
Madras High Court
till 1943.
Krishna Iyer joined the Indian independence movement and was an active member of the
Indian National Congress
in the 1930s.
[1]
He strived to popularize the songs of Indian nationalist
Subrahmanya Bharathy
.
Association with art
[
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]
On completion of his graduation, he entered a drama troupe in which he enacted female parts. He developed an avid interest in classical arts and also studied
carnatic music
during this time.
[1]
The Bharatanatyam revival movement
[
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]
Krishna Iyer's involvement with the Bharatanatyam revival movement began when he joined a theatrical company called Suguna Vilasa Sabha and learnt
sadir
, a sensuous and less respectful form of Bharatnatyam practised by
devadasis
.
[1]
He understood the greatness of the art and lamented the disrespect shown and stigma attached to it due to its association with devadasis. Krishna Iyer founded the Madras Music Academy and teamed with
Rukmini Devi Arundale
to save the dance art from dying out.
[1]
Krishna Iyer also patronized carnatic music and wrote as an art critic for the
Indian Express
,
Dinamani
and
Kalki
.
Coining of the term Bharatanatyam
[
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]
In the late 1920s and the early 1930s, attempts were made to abolish the devadasi system due to the efforts of
Muthulakshmi Reddy
, the first woman to be elected to the
Madras Legislative Council
. She also desired to do away with
sadir
due to its association with the devadasi system and condemned nautch performances in the Presidency.
[1]
Krishna Iyer vehemently protested against Muthulakshmi Reddy's attitude towards
sadir
in a series of letters published in the Madras Mail and sought to give the dance form a measure of respect by proposing a resolution at a 1932 meeting of the Madras Music Academy to rename it as "Bharatanatyam" or Indian dance.
[2]
While strongly condemning the devadasi system, Krishna Iyer tried to sever the dance's association with the practice by encouraging Brahmin girls to learn and practice the art and by eradicating expressions and movements that conveyed sexually-explicit meanings in cooperation with Rukmini Devi Arundale.
[2]
The stigma associated with Bharatanatyam, however, did not disappear altogether until the passing of the Devadasi Dedication Abolition Act in 1947.
[3]
Awards
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]
Death
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Krishna Iyer died in 1968 at the age of 71.
Notes
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]
References
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1954?1960
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1961?1980
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1981?2000
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2001?2021
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2022?2023
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