1. My Experience in RASA – The Arts Centre and A Sharing of What I Feel about My Guru – Dr. Ambika Kameshwar (Akka)

Most of what I will be sharing here are things that Akka herself would be seeing for the first time and surprisingly I myself realized it just today… March 27th 2007 (Akka’s Birthday).

Who I am today, the way I view the world around me, the things that I do, all have Akka’s touch in some form or the other, and I am extremely glad it does.

It is easy to teach dance to someone, no easy to teach them love dance! Every student of Akka’s loves dance.

You could ask her a 100 times the same dumb doubt, and she would each time more willingly say ‘illada kanna’ and explain… now that’s beyond human.

There is one thing I keep proudly boasting off to my friends… “My Guru asked me to start a dance school of my own, she even coined the name for my school Srikala Ranga, infact pushed me to conduct an annual day celebration all on my own, and on that day she sat in the first row proudly clapping hands”… as I say this I can watch their jealous eyes expressing – How I wish I had a Guru like Ambika Akka!! (This is just one of the million things she does to make us grow)

Here she is – who had moulded our value system, personality and the very being.

Here she is – leading by example every moment,

The face that glows, glows like a thousand golden suns,

The heart that dances, dances to the rhythm of a thousand jingles,

The charm that spreads, spreads like a rapid virus,

The being so pure, pure as a just born infant,

This is Akka to me and so is she to everyone else as well!!...

Happy Birthday ka…

Srithika Kasturirangan

Senior Most Disciple
Of
Dr. Ambika Kameshwar

&

Founder Director
SriKala Ranga School of Dance


2. RASA – The Arts Centre to others, but to me, it is the centre of love, affection and meant to increase our passion towards dance and Akka is the power house of this golden centre. Akka I really thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to share my experience with all

Though Akka is my dance guru, I have seen as her as my mother with whom I share my personal thoughts too. She had been a role model for me to improve in my academics, time management, planning and also to be a good human being. Generally a dance guru teaches only dance but a divine guru teaches how you should translate dance to enhance your spiritual empowerment. I feel, to her best Akka has fed the divine knowledge and has given this treasure box also. Above all these I think words are not enough to explain about this goddess who has come in the form of human being.

M. Nithya Kalyani

Doctoral Fellow in Diabetology

Senior Disciple
Of
Dr. Ambika Kameshwar

&

Staff of RASA – The Arts Centre.


Letters of Appreciation
1.
Dear Ambika,

Words are not enough to express the wonderful experience we had on the evening of 24th September at RASA. The choice of dances, the “bhavam” of the songs, the vibrance of the girls and the whole ambience was deeply appreciated by not only us – but every member of the visiting Kenyan and Ugandan team. The visitors have taken back with them a wonderful perception of the “excellence” in art form that India can offer and the credit goes to your team. We missed you – but as you so confidently told us there are others who can do very well and it was heart warming to note that they are all so young and so exceptionally talented. Special thanks to Bharathi, Poorna and Srithika and of course to the other in the RASA team.

Regards,
Maya Gaitonde
Bala Mandir Research Foundation

2.

Blogs
Nritya Stuti at Kapaleeswarar Temple
(March-01-2007)
Kalaimamani Dr. Ambika Kameshwar is a blessed bharatnatyam/kuchipudi dancer, classical singer and a dance movement therapist who directs RASA (Ramana Sunritya Aalaya Trust) in Chennai, India.

Dr. Ambika’s recent vocal concert made me wonder how a human being could be so talented. Her concert was a treat to the rasikas like me.

Rasika