Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904-1986) was a dancer born in India in 1904, known for her work to recover part of the country's traditional dances, especially the Bharatanatyam, a dance that had practically disappeared due to the British invasion.
Devi Arundale married George Arundale, a British Theosophist. With him, she traveled throughout much of the world, interacting with great prominent figures in dance and education, such as Anna Pavlova and Maria Montessori. From her friendship with the former, part of the material to revive the Bharatanatyam emerged.
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In addition to her work as a dancer, Rukmini Devi also developed an important activity in the Parliament of her country. From that position, she promoted the defense of animals and a vegetarian diet.
Likewise, he promoted the recognition of other cultural traditions of his country, from painting to textile manufacturing. Also, together with her husband, she promoted the opening of several Montessori schools and defended theosophy as a philosophical system.
Biography
Rumikni Devi, maiden name, was born in Madurai on February 29, 1904. Her father was an engineer who worked for the Department of Public Works, which caused the family to often move from one city to another. For her part, her mother was very fond of music, which greatly influenced her daughter.
Devi's father also played a role in Rumikni's future beliefs. In this case, due to its participation in the Theosophical Society, a movement that maintains that all religions arose from a common stem and that proposes the comparative study of Religion, Science and Philosophy, to find the fundamental teaching in each of them.
When the father retired, the family moved to Adyar, in Chennai (Madras in Spanish). There, they established their home near the headquarters of the Theosophical Society in the area. This made the young Rumikni soak up that philosophy, but also new cultural ideas.
It was then that he met George Arudanle, an important British theosophist. The attraction was immediate, despite the prejudices of the time.
Marriage
The two were married in 1920, causing a major social scandal at the time. The newlyweds went on a long journey around the world, meeting with other Theosophists.
In addition, they were able to make contact with important figures in culture and education, such as Montessori or the poet James Cousin.
As early as 1923, Rukmini Devi was appointed president of the Federation of Young Theosophists of India and, two years later, she held that same position worldwide.
Another very important meeting in Rukmini's life occurred in 1928. That year, the famous Russian dancer Anna Pavlova visited Bombay. Causation wanted both women to travel on the same boat to Australia and a great friendship emerged during the journey.
Rukmini Devi began to learn to dance with one of the main dancers in the Pavlova company. Later, it was the Russian who asked Rukmini to focus her attention on traditional Indian dances, somewhat discredited since the arrival of the British.
Resurgence
In Madras in 1933, Rukmini attended the Annual Conference of the city's Academy of Music. In that show, she saw for the first time the dance called Sadhir, also known as Bharatanatyam. She immediately began to learn how to dance it, with the help of important figures such as E Krishna Iyer.
Don years later, Rukmini Devi gave his first public performance of this dance. The chosen place was the Theosophical Society.
In early 1936, together with her husband, she founded a music and dance academy. Built in Adyar, near Madras, today it is considered one of the most important institutions in India, although the location was moved to a more modern campus in 1962. Many of the best known Indian dancers have passed through its classrooms.
Bharatanatyam
Without a doubt, Rukmini Devi's greatest achievement was to recover this type of dance. The British invasion had caused the Bharatanatyam, along with other traditions in the country, to be discredited and almost completely disappeared.
Devi's work was not limited to recovering the dance. She also introduced new features, both in the instruments and in costumes and other aspects. For example, she introduced the use of the violin and jewelry inspired by the sculptures of Hindu temples.
Rukmini turned to other artists for support to help her improve her dance. As a result, some traditional epic poems from India were adapted to be performed on stage as musicals.
Another significant point was the recovery of the padam, sections in which the artist speaks of love and devotion, focusing on spirituality.
Montessori
Thanks to the friendship between Rukmini and Maria Montessori, some schools were opened in India that follow this type of education. It was George, Rukmini's husband, who invited Montessori to teach a series of courses at the Besant Institute of Theosophy in 1939.
Hence the project to expand the Montessori method to other parts of the country, building several centers in various areas.
Politics
Apart from his cultural work, Rukmini also entered Indian politics. In 1952, she was elected to the Council of States, the Upper House of the country's Parliament. At that time she was the first Indian woman to be a member of that body, repeating in 1956.
Part of his political work focused on the defense of animals, developing a bill to prevent cruelty to them. Continuing with this interest, he founded the Council for Animal Welfare, leading which he remained until 1962.
Similarly, she promoted the vegetarian diet in her country, being the vice president of the International Vegetarian Union from 1955 until her death.
In 1977, Rukmini Devi received the offer to head a candidacy for the presidency of the nation, although he rejected that possibility.
Devi passed away on February 24, 1986 in Madras, at the age of 82. For her work, she is considered one of 100 people who helped shape India.
References
- The Dance of Life. Rukmini Devi. Obtained from ladanzadevida.com
- Revolvy. Rukmini Devi Arundale. Retrieved from revolvy.com
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Rukmini Devi Arundale. Retrieved from britannica.com
- Menon, Raghava R. Rukmini Devi Arundale and her famed Kalakshetra school enchant audiences in Delhi. Retrieved from indiatoday.in
- Theosophy Wiki. Rukmini Devi Arundale. Retrieved from theosophy.wiki
- Pal, Sanchari. Rukmini Devi Arundale, the Legend Who Chose Dance Over Becoming the President of India. Retrieved from thebetterindia.com