Well-known dancer Geeta Chandran was awarded the first IIMC Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday at the 10th annual meet of the Alumni Association of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication in the Capital.
Padma Shri awardee Chandran started learning Bharatanatyam at the age of five under Swarna Saraswathy, who hailed from the traditional Thanjavoor dasi parampara. Later, she learnt diverse aspects of dance form from several other eminent gurus.
Besides having a deep understanding of Bharatanatyam, Chandran is trained in Carnatic music and is an accomplished vocalist. Going beyond the stage, she has worked in television, films, and theatre, choreographed many shows, contributed in the fields of dance education and dance activism.
She is also the recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2016 and the Tagore National Fellowship (2018-2021).
Her dance academy, Natya-Vriksha of which Chandran is the Founder-President has been involved in creating awareness among the children and youth about Bharatanatyam. Providing a holistic training, the academy attempts to make the students realise the relationship between classical dance tradition and philosophy, poetry, literature, painting, sculpture, Yoga, and other aspects of life.
The Lifetime Achievement Awards was given to Chandran by Professor Sanjay Dwivedi, IIMC Director-General. Incidentally, Chandran did her masters degree from IIMC in 1984.
