Kalamandalam Radhika

 Kalamandalam Radhika started dancing at the age of three, under training of Guru Rajan. In her quest to learn the different aspects of dance she learnt mridhangam vaitharis from Guru Ponniah pillai to attain mastery over the techniques of rhythm. She then learnt Kathakali from Muttar Sri. Narayana Panicker to hone her skills and talent. She later specialized in Mohiniattam having studied under the all time Great Gurus like Late Chinnammuamma and Kalamandalam Sathyabhama. She was also under the teaching of Late Kalamandalam Kalyani Kutty Amma for a short period. Her training under Kalamandalam Padmanabha Ashan in kathakali polished her Abhinayam to a great extent.

Kalamandalam Radhika was born in Bangalore to K.K Nair, a chartered accountant. She started learning dancing at the age of three under Guru Rajan, and later learnt Kathakali from Muttar Sri. Narayana Panicker and mridhangamvaitharis from Guru Ponniahpillai. In the late 1960s, she moved to Cheruthuruthy and stayed at the Kalamandalam for four years. Under the wings of Chinnammu Amma, Kalamandalam Sathyabhama and Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair she was moulded into a skilled performer. Her tutelage under the late Kalamandalam Kalyani Kutty Amma and her training under Kalamandalam Padmanabha Ashan in Kathakali honed her skills.

Radhika has written numerous articles for the dance and music magazine Shrutilaya and has submitted a paper on Mohiniyattom at a seminar organized by the NCERT on the subject of ‘Dance Education in Schools'. She has also written an article about the Devadasi system of Kerala for the weekly Indu , published from Houston, USA, and is the author of the books 'Mohiniyattom-The Lyrical Dance of Kerala´ and ‘Mudra’ published by Mathrabhoomi.

 

Jhijhian Dance of Bihar

Jhijhiya (also called Jhijhari) is a cultural folk dance of Mithila and Bhojpuri region of India and Nepal.It is performed during the Dusshera festival, in the Hindu month of Ashwin (September/October). The dance is performed to offer devotion towards goddess Durga—the goddess of victory as well as to protect one's family, children and society from witches and dark magic

Objective of Jhijhian Dance

This dance is related to rain and the objective is very different. The cultivation of food crops is an important means of living in India hence the rain is the most important factor. So, it is sung when there is no rain for a long time than its usual arrival. Through 'Jhijhian', the villagers portray the drought when there is not a single drop of rain anywhere, the lands are cracked and parched, the sky is lifeless without clouds and the people are awaiting rains. Hence, this is an exact time, for the performance of this dance, when the village women pray to Lord Indra for rain.

Performance

The dance is performed by the people of Mithila and Bhojpuri region of India and Nepal. The dance is performed every evening from the day of Ghatasthapana to Bijaya Dashami. It is believed that this dance is performed to protect one's children and society from witches. It is believed that the ritual was initiated to reduce the influence of the witches' magic upon one's family. Women dance with a clay pot on their head. Multiple holes are made inside the pot and a lamp is kept inside it. There is also a popular belief that if a witch succeeds in counting the holes in the pot placed on a woman's head, the dancing woman will die immediately.