E. Krishna Iyer
Encyclopedia
E. Krishna Iyer was an Indian lawyer, freedom-fighter, classical artist and activist who was responsible for popularizing the dying art of Bharatanatyam
in South India
.
family of Kallidaikurichi
, Madras Presidency
. He had his schooling at Ambasamudram High School and graduated from Madras Christian College. On graduating, he studied law at Madras Law College and practised as a lawyer at the Madras High Court
till 1943.
Krishna Iyer joined the Indian independence movement and was an active member of the Indian National Congress
in the 1930s. He strived to popularize the songs of Indian nationalist Subrahmanya Bharathy.
during this time.
s. He understood the greatness of the art and lamented the disrespect shown and stigma attached to it due to its association with devadasis. Krishna Iyer founded the Madras Music Academy and teamed with Rukmini Devi Arundale
to save the dance art from dying out. Krishna Iyer also patronized carnatic music and wrote as an art critic for the Indian Express, Dinamani and Kalki
.
. She also desired to do away with sadir due to its association with the devadasi system and condemned nautch performances in the Presidency. Krishna Iyer vehemently protested against Muthulakshmi Reddy's attitude towards sadir in a series of letters published in the Madras Mail and sought to give the dance form a measure of respect by proposing a resolution at a 1932 meeting of the Madras Music Academy to rename it as "Bharatanatyam" or Indian dance.
While strongly condemning the devadasi system, Krishna Iyer tried to sever the dance's association with the practice by encouraging Brahmin girls to learn and practice the art and by eradicating expressions and movements that conveyed sexually-explicit meanings in cooperation with Rukmini Devi Arundale. The stigma associated with Bharatanatyam, however, did not disappear altogether until the passing of the Devadasi Dedication Abolition Act in 1947.
Bharatanatyam
Bharata Natyam or Chadhir Attam, is a classical dance form from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, practiced predominantly in modern times by women. The dance is usually accompanied by classical Carnatic music...
in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
.
Early life
Krishna Iyer was born on August 9, 1897 in a Tamil BrahminTamil Brahmin
Tamil Brahmins are Tamil-speaking Brahmins from Tamil Nadu who have settled in other South Indian states like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka...
family of Kallidaikurichi
Kallidaikurichi
Kallidaikurichi is a small town on the right bank of river Thamiraparani in Ambasamudram Taluk of Tirunelveli District in Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India. Like any Indian rural town, this town too is steeped in tradition and rich in heritage, struggling to hold on to its past glories...
, Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
. He had his schooling at Ambasamudram High School and graduated from Madras Christian College. On graduating, he studied law at Madras Law College and practised as a lawyer at the Madras High Court
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is a senior court located at Chennai , in India. The court buildings, which are believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world, are located near the beach, in one of the city's major business districts....
till 1943.
Krishna Iyer joined the Indian independence movement and was an active member of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
in the 1930s. He strived to popularize the songs of Indian nationalist Subrahmanya Bharathy.
Association with art
On completion of his graduation, he entered a drama troupe in which he enacted female parts. He developed an avid interest in classical arts and also studied carnatic musicCarnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
during this time.
The Bharatanatyam revival movement
Krishna Iyer's involvement with the Bharatanatyam revival movement began when he joined a theatrical company called Suguna Vilasa Sabha and learnt sadir, a sensuous and less respectful form of Bharatnatyam practised by devadasiDevadasi
In Hinduism, the devadasi tradition is a religious tradition in which girls are "married" and dedicated to a deity or to a temple and includes performance aspects such as those that take place in the temple as well as in the courtly and mujuvani [telegu] or home context. Dance and music were...
s. He understood the greatness of the art and lamented the disrespect shown and stigma attached to it due to its association with devadasis. Krishna Iyer founded the Madras Music Academy and teamed with Rukmini Devi Arundale
Rukmini Devi Arundale
Rukmini Devi Arundale was an Indian theosophist, dancer and choreographer of the Indian classical dance form of Bharatnatyam, and also an activist for animal rights and welfare....
to save the dance art from dying out. Krishna Iyer also patronized carnatic music and wrote as an art critic for the Indian Express, Dinamani and Kalki
Kalki (magazine)
Kalki is a Tamil magazine published from Chennai, Tamilnadu. The magazine was established by Kalki Krishnamurthy, a popular Tamil novelist and Indian freedom fighter. The magazine was very famous for its publication of historic novels by Kalki such as Ponniyin Selvan and Sivagamiyin Sabadham....
.
Coining of the term Bharatanatyam
In the late 1920s and the early 1930s, attempts were made to abolish the devadasi system due to the efforts of Muthulakshmi Reddy, the first woman to be elected to the Madras Legislative CouncilMadras Legislative Council
Tamil Nadu Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initially created as an advisory body in 1861, by the British...
. She also desired to do away with sadir due to its association with the devadasi system and condemned nautch performances in the Presidency. Krishna Iyer vehemently protested against Muthulakshmi Reddy's attitude towards sadir in a series of letters published in the Madras Mail and sought to give the dance form a measure of respect by proposing a resolution at a 1932 meeting of the Madras Music Academy to rename it as "Bharatanatyam" or Indian dance.
While strongly condemning the devadasi system, Krishna Iyer tried to sever the dance's association with the practice by encouraging Brahmin girls to learn and practice the art and by eradicating expressions and movements that conveyed sexually-explicit meanings in cooperation with Rukmini Devi Arundale. The stigma associated with Bharatanatyam, however, did not disappear altogether until the passing of the Devadasi Dedication Abolition Act in 1947.