Rathika MahadevaRathika Mahadeva is a respected and valued disciple of the Dhananjayans. She was born in Kurumpasiddy in the Northern Region of Sri Lanka. After migrating to Australia she founded Bharatha Kalanjali, Melbourne in 1999. Rathika Mahadeva’s understanding of bharatyanatyam strives beyond the three aspects of Bharatyanatyam : Nritta, Nritya and Natya.
Rathika’s natural artistic flair, devotion and strong determination for natya drives her to excel in a wide array of literacy, expressive and athetic aspects. Smt.Rathika Mahadeva’s talents have led to stage several outstanding natya dance and drama production ranging from “ the Shattered Anklet” Ashokavanam to Jeevanam and many more. Smt. Rathika Mahadeva is not only known for her exceptional involvement in the artistic scene of Melbourne, but also for her remarkable contributions to charity and numerous other causes. She has also been a recipient of various awards with the most recent being the prestigious Victoria multicultural commissions Multicultural Award for Excellence in 2012. In 2015 Rathika have been given the Natya Poorna title by great gurus Natya Charya’s Dhananjeyan for her service in the art field for more than 20 years.
Rathika’s selfless and motherly nature allows her to maintain a strong relationship with all her students and her to continue to be an inspiration to all of them. Her dedication and commitment towards all endeavors has been such an encouragement for all her students over the years.
In line with the innate communal and charitable character of BKDS, the annual concerts have subtle but powerful themes of societal awareness of global issues. The successful staging of ‘Ashokavanam’ in 2009 portrayed the undeniable existence of global warming through the prime choreography by PT Narendran. ‘Jeevanam’ in 2011 then cleverly incorporated the sensitive issues surrounding the boat people fleeing from various war-stricken homelands as part of the traditional “Mahabharatham” chronicles , which was followed on by the sequel “Gananam” in collaboration from the world renowned dancer Smt Sreelatha Vinod. Most recently, last year’s concert “Annapoorna” conveyed the underlying and continuing struggles related to gambling and its effects on individuals, families and the society portrayed through the turbulent relationship between Shiva and Parvathi
Natya Purna
