https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Pudukkottai Collector Checkmates With Her Dance Choreography

A chess dance video choreographed by Pudukkottai Collector Kavitha Ramu is creating a lot of buzz on social media The dance video was made for the inaugural ceremony of the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad The dance showcased classical, folk and martial artists becoming chess characters and playing the game through their performances
Indian Masterminds Stories

As the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad was flagged off in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on 28 July, many districts of the state portrayed chess in different ways to promote the Olympiad. But one act stood out for its innovative presentation. It was a dance video choreographed by the Pudukkottai District Collector Kavitha Ramu, who is a classical dancer of repute herself. The video went viral in no time and created a buzz on social media for its beautiful dance recital of the chess game.

CHATURANGAM: A DANCE DEPICTION

IAS officer Kavitha Ramu, who is a trained Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dancer, presented a 3-minute dance video named Chatarungam: A Dance Depiction, showing classical and folk dancers and martial artists becoming chess characters themselves and playing the game through their dance performances. It was a visual treat for the viewers and spectators.

“We were conducting various awareness programmes for the Olympiad. I wanted to do something different. Being an artist, I naturally thought of using performers and composing a visual treat. Characters like the knight, rook, and pawn lend themselves naturally to picturisation,” Ms. Kavitha Ramu told media.

The chess dance showcased the black queen’s triumph over the white king in the end. “The project was about colour, gender and power, besides being a tribute to the game that has made Chennai its home in the country,” Ms. Ramu said.

RECORDED IN 24 HRS

The entire dance programme was choreographed by the officer herself. As she couldn’t reach Chennai, she handled everything via her mobile phone. She conducted the auditions and selected the performers for each character in Pudukkottai.

“What made the video more special was that the team did the rehearsal for two days, the recording started on July 20 and we finished the recording the very next day, within 24 hours time span,” the officer said.

The art forms in the video dance include Bharatanatyam, Therukoothu (street theatre), Poikal Kudhirai (a folk dance), Mal Yudham (martial art) and Silambam (martial art).

Hers was not the only presentation that attracted attention. The city’s Napier Bridge, which was painted as a chessboard; an illustration of Thambi, the Mascot of the chess Olympiad in Chennai, and a music video by A R Rahman also attracted much attention and appreciation.

JOURNEY OF A CLASSICAL DANCER

IAS officer Kavitha Ramu was born in Madurai. At the age of four, she started her training for Bharatnatyam under Guru Neela. In just one year she became adept in most of the ‘Bhav and Bhangimas’ of this classical dance. She was eight years old when she got an opportunity to dance at the Fifth World Tamil Conference, held in Chidambaram.

Later, in Chennai, Ms. Ramu came in touch with the famous Guru KJ Sarasa. She learned many techniques of dancing under him for around 15 years. He also taught her the Vazhuvoor style of Bharathanatyam. Simultaneously, she was performing in the festivals in school, college and other programmes held by cultural clubs. Meanwhile, she also learnt Nattuvangam from the famous Guru Indira Rajan. Nattuvangam is a separate style in Bharathnatyam, which deals with the rhythmic sound play of cymbals. She has held over 600 solo performances.

Ms. Ramu is also an `A grade’ artist of Doordarshan, and has been part of many of its programmes. She also coordinated cultural events for the opening and closing ceremonies of the South Asian Games, held in Chennai in 1995. 


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Karnataka High Court
Karnataka High Court Quashes Criminal Case Against MP Dr. K Sudhakar in ₹4.8 Crore Election Cash Seizure
Bihar Police
Bihar Police Reshuffle Ahead of Assembly Elections: 3 IPS, 148 DSPs Transferred; Ashok Kumar Singh Appointed SP Human Rights Commission
FACT
From Finance Head to CMD: Who Is S Sakthimani, the PESB-Recommended Chief of FACT Limited?
Reserve-Bank-of-India_RBI_resized
RBI Proposes UIN-Based System to Simplify Foreign Offices Setup, Eases Approval Norms
NITI Aayog
NITI Aayog Proposes Presumptive Taxation Scheme for Foreign Investors to Boost Certainty and Ease of Doing Business
Bihar Government-resized-IM
Major IAS Reshuffle in Bihar Ahead of Elections: 7 Officers Transferred; Dr. Chandrashekhar Singh Appointed Secretary to CM Secretariat
bureaucracy news
IRS Chandra Madhav Singh Appointed Deputy Secretary in Consumer Affairs; IPS Shika Goel Takes Over as DG Vigilance & Enforcement in Telangana
IAS Shailja Pandey
Who Is IAS Shailja Pandey? Nainital Officer Joins Rajasthan Cadre After Transfer from Bihar
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr G K Goswami IPS
Everything you ever wanted to know about e-murder, e-dacoity and data safety
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
Ravikant Meena on IFS Preparation, Optionals, and Life in Forest Service
Siddhartha Saxena UPSC CAPF
How Siddhartha Saxena Cracked UPSC CAPF AIR 326 Against All Odds
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar Live Interaction
From Cut-off Dates to Coaching & Reforms: UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar Assures Aspirants of Fairness, Transparency & a Future-Ready UPSC | UPSC@100
A Century of Service: The UPSC’s Landmark Year Begins. Chairman Ajay Kumar on UPSC’s Centennial: “Merit,...
Giriraj Parihar MPPSC 2024
From Constable to Deputy Collector: Giriraj Parihar’s 9-Year MPPSC Journey | Farmer’s Son, Brother to Five Sisters
From a jail guard to MPPSC 2024 Rank 8, Giriraj Parihar’s nine-year journey of self-study, hard work,...
Ankit MPPSC 2024 Rank 3
From Village Dreams to Deputy Collector’s Chair: Meet Ankit, MPPSC Rank 3 Hindi Medium Topper
Ankit, a Hindi-medium aspirant from Balaghat, secured Rank 3 in MPPSC 2024 and became Deputy Collector...
Social Media
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
Parag Madhukar Dhakate
Relentless Rains Wreak Havoc in Dehradun: IFS officer PM Dhakate Warns Citizens Amid Flash Floods
Cloudbursts in Dehradun triggered flash floods. IFS officer Dr. PM Dhakate warned citizens to stay indoors...
Forest Guard Tiger Encounter
Tigers Clash in the Wild as Forest Guards Capture Rare Footage , Retired IFS Mohan Pargaien Posts Viral Video
Retired IFS officer Mohan Pargaien shares viral video of three tigers brawling in Ramnagar, as forest...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Karnataka High Court
Karnataka High Court Quashes Criminal Case Against MP Dr. K Sudhakar in ₹4.8 Crore Election Cash Seizure
Bihar Police
Bihar Police Reshuffle Ahead of Assembly Elections: 3 IPS, 148 DSPs Transferred; Ashok Kumar Singh Appointed SP Human Rights Commission
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr G K Goswami IPS
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
Siddhartha Saxena UPSC CAPF
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT