Kanak Rele | |
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| Born | (1937-06-11)11 June 1937 |
| Died | 22 February 2023(2023-02-22) (aged 85) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
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| Known for | Mohiniyattam |
| Spouse | Yatindra Rele |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan Padma Shri Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Kalidas Samman Gaurav Puraskar Kala Vipanchee M. S. Subbulakshmi Award |
Kanak Rele (11 June 1937 – 22 February 2023)[1] was an Indian dancer, choreographer, and academic best known as an exponent ofMohiniyattam. She was the founder-director of the Nalanda Dance Research Centre and the founder-principal of the Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya inMumbai.[2][3]
Born inGujarat on 11 June 1937,[1] Rele spent a part of her childhood inSantiniketan and inKolkata with her uncle. At Santiniketan she had the opportunity to watchKathakali andMohiniyattam performances, which she claimed helped shape her artistic sensibilities.[4][5]
Rele was a qualified lawyer with anLL.B. from theGovernment Law College, Mumbai and a diploma ininternational law from theUniversity of Manchester.[5] She also held a PhD in dance from theUniversity of Mumbai.[6]
Rele and her husbandYatindra had one son. She died in Mumbai on 22 February 2023.[7]
Rele was also aKathakali artiste having been trained under Guru "Panchali" Karunakara Panicker since the age of seven.[5][8] Her initiation intoMohiniyattam came much later under Kalamandalam Rajalakshmi. A grant from theSangeet Natak Akademi and later theFord Foundation helped her delve deeper into her interest in Mohiniyattam and during 1970–71 she traveled toKerala filming exponents of the dance form such as Kunjukutty Amma,Chinnammu Amma, and Kalyanikutty Amma. The project helped acquaint her with the nuances of Mohiniyattam and record its traditional and technical styles while also enabling her to evolve a teaching methodology for it.[5][8] Her study of these artistes and their technique against the backdrop of classical texts likeNatya Shastra,Hastalakshana Deepika, andBalarama Bharatam led her to develop her own style of Mohiniyattam dubbed theKanaka Rele School of Mohiniyattam.[8]
Rele's concept of body kinetics in dance is a pioneering innovation that disaggregates body movements in Mohiniyattam using a notation system.[4] She is credited with having played a key role in the revival and popularisation of Mohiniyattam and for having brought a scientific temper and academic rigour to it.[9]
Rele is noted for the contemporisation of mythological tales in her performances and her portrayal of strong women characters in them, which is a marked departure from the traditionalMohiniyattam theme of thenayika pining for love.[10] Some of her notable subjects and choreographies includeKubja,Kalyani,Silappadikaram, andSwapnavasavadattam.[8]
Rele's association with theMalayalam poet and scholarKavalam Narayana Panicker led to her introduction toSopana Sangeetham and creation of choreographic pieces set to Sopana Sangeetam'stalas. Rele credited Kavalam's compositions as being inspirational for several of her choreographies that "highlight the trauma of women in society based on women characters in mythology".[5][11]
Nritya Bharati, a documentary onIndia's classical dances produced by Rele's Nalanda Dance Research Centre has been acquired by theMinistry of External Affairs as the official capsule for allIndian missions abroad.[8]The Enlightened One — Gautama Buddha, which premiered in 2011, was a choreographic piece created against the backdrop of the26/11 attacks onMumbai.[12]
Rele was instrumental in beginning the Department of Fine Arts at theUniversity of Mumbai and also served as its dean. Rele established the Nalanda Dance Research Centre in 1966 and the Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalay in 1972.[8] The Nalanda Dance Research Centre, Mumbai which trains students for a university degree in Mohiniyattam is recognised as a research institute by theMinistry of Science and Technology.[5] Rele also served as an expert and advisor on dance to theDepartment of Culture of theGovernment of India and thePlanning Commission and was part of theUniversity Grants Commission's curriculum development team and a consultant to Indian and foreign universities in developing academic dance courses.[2]
Rele was conferred theGaurav Puraskar by theGovernment of Gujarat in 1989 and thePadma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in theRepublic of India, in 1990.[13] She was honoured with the titleKala Vipanchee by Vipanchee, a pioneering institution for Indian music and dance, in 2005.[14] In 2006, theGovernment of Madhya Pradesh conferred theKalidas Samman on her for her contributions to and excellence in the field of classical dance.[10] She was also a recipient of theSangeet Natak Akademi Award and theM. S. Subbulakshmi Award.[15] In 2013, she was conferred thePadma Bhushan by theGovernment of India.[16]
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