Bharatnatyam teacher, 70-year-old Kamala Bhat passed away at her home in Mangaluru Photo Credit: Supplied Image
70-year-old Vidhushi Kamala Bhat, who had been training students in Bharatanatyam for many years in Mangaluru, passed away on Tuesday night (December 17, 2024) at her home near Urva Marigudi Temple in Mangaluru.
Born in Kasargod in 1954, Vidhushi Bhat learned Bharatanatyam from senior Bharatanatyam guru Ullal Mohan Kumar, scholar BR Sundar Kumar and Vidhushi Revathi Narasimhan. She was training students at her house in Urwa, known as ‘Natyalaya’. She conducted dance classes in a house near the Mangaladevi temple for a few years before moving to the Ramalakshmi Convention Hall near the Ramakrishna Math.
Under his guidance, about 100 students have completed ‘Vidwat’. There is a group of ‘scholarly’ students who are taking regular training in his house. A passionate dance teacher, Ms. Bhat also conducted dance classes for the students of Canara School in Urwa. Finding passion in her students, Ms. Bhat boosted their passion by giving them free training if they were found to be poor.
Performances by Natyalaya students are a regular feature in the region’s annual temple fairs, including Manglala Devi Temple and Urva Marigudi Temple. His students have been performing at Kudroli Gokarnath Temple during Mangaluru Dussehra.
Vidhushi Bhatt was awarded the Karnataka Kalashri Award in 2020 by the Karnataka Sangeetha Nritya Academy. She has also received Dakshina Kannada District Rajyotsava Award, Sri Rama Vittala Award, Nritya Kala Sindhu Award and Kalkura Award.
Many people paid their respects at his house in Urwa on Wednesday before the last rites started.
published – December 18, 2024 at 08:15 pm IST