<p>Nandini Ramani Inheritor Of A Rare Legacy</p>

- S. Janaki

Nandini Ramani is a veteran Bharatanatyam exponent, teacher—scholar, critic—director of Sanskrit plays, and an arts administrator. She has had the rare privilege of being nurtured by two stalwarts—her father Dr. V. Raghavan the illustrious Sanskrit scholar and Indologist, and her guru T. Balasaraswati. She is the younger sister of Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher Priyamvada Sankar.

Born on 18 November 1950, Nandini started learning Bharatanatyam at the age of six. Learning nritta from Ganesan Nattuvanar and abhinaya from Balasaraswati (for over 25 years) Nandini had her arangetram in 1970 and went on to perform in India and abroad. During 1973-78, she taught at the Bala Saraswati School of Bharatanatyam conducted by the Madras Music Academy, where she had commenced her dance training.

Nandini was associated with Doordarshan Kendra, Madras, from 1975 to 1993, and among its earliest auditioned announcer-presenter-script writers. She made a documentary film for the channel on Balasaraswati in 1976. During 1981-95, she also travelled extensively for performances, workshops, master classes and lecdems at well known universities like the Wesleyan, Florida, Indiana, Texas and Paris. Under the AIIS (American Institute of Indian Studies) support scheme, she has taught many foreign students some of whom are occupying academic positions in the dance faculty in universities. In Chennai, she has been imparting training to dancers in the Balasaraswati style of Bharatanatyam and organising programmes in memory of her guru under the banner of Dr. V. Raghava