A student of the arts, in every sense A school student and young Kathak practitioner from Bengaluru
Kathak at the Centre
Devangi is a Class 8 school student in Bengaluru, and Kathak is the centre of her cultural identity. She is a disciple of Dr. Ruma Shil in Kathak, of Mr. Sourav Dey in Hindustani vocal music, and of Mrs. Geetha Shridhar in sitar — and this site is offered with gratitude to her gurus. Her training is the real thing — the discipline of the guru-shishya tradition strengthened by formal graded examinations, the CCRT scholarship (the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training's national scholarship recognising young talent in the arts), and the experience of performing on stage, where the rhythms of tatkar and the spin of chakkars stop being lessons and become language.
Beyond the Ghungroos
Her curiosity does not stop at dance. She also trains in the sitar and Hindustani vocal music — the melodic world that Kathak converses with on stage — and has explored Yakshagana, Karnataka's blazing night-long dance-drama, connecting her North Indian classical training to the living folk theatre of her home state.
Why This Site Exists
Rasa Bharat grew from that journey: a dancer's wish to see all of India's art forms — from the most celebrated classical traditions to the remotest folk and tribal arts — gathered in one place, recorded truthfully, and made easy for anyone to learn from. It is offered in the same spirit in which the arts themselves are passed on: with respect for the gurus, joy in the practice, and the belief that culture belongs to everyone who loves it.