In the midst of nature in the district of Shimoga is a small town Sagara. In this small town there is a
dance class, Natyataranga; where a passionate teacher teaches the classical style of dance called
Bharatanatyam.
Natyataranga, established in the year 1992 by Vidwan Janardhan G B. Janardhan was born into a
family of a rich culture and heritage. He was fascinated by the dance art form at a very young age.
After his completion of studies Janardhan started working in the Postal department.
Working in the postal department gave Janardhan freedom to pursue his true passion for dance and
in search of a teacher he found his teachers. Vid. Smt. Srivalli Ambarish, Shimoga; Vid. Smt. Narmada
and Prof. Vid. M R Krishnamurthy. In this journey of learning this classical dance form the constant
support at his back was his partner for life Smt. Varada who accompanied him to his classes and
supported him in every way possible. Guru Janardhan was also fortunate to be under the tutelage of
Padmabhushan Vid. Padma Subrahmanyam who took him under her wing.
The duo Varadambika and Janardhan today run the institution which has made the dance form
available in the rural areas surrounding Sagar and the town. This institution has created a rich
environment for a lot of aspiring dance students and a whole eco system where people have grown
to appreciate the dance form in a place which is far from any metropolitan city.
Bharatanatyam isn’t just a dance form but a way of life itself and Natyataranga does an amazing job
of passing on the heritage and knowledge of Guru. Janardhan and his teachers to the students.
There are more than a hundred students from the institution who are spread across various parts of
India. Natyataranga not only nurtures talent in the rural malenadu region but also has multiple
branches in the metropolitan city of Bengaluru where students of Guru Janardhan have opened their
branches of the institution.
The quality education imparted here is so high that when observed the students who have
graduated here have gone on to become dance professionals and teachers who have formed their
own institutions or have created branches in metropolitans.
The academy also hosts scholars and artists from all over the world to perform in monthly concerts
and yearly festivals. This not only enriches the minds of the students studying there but also enriches
the whole ecosystem surrounding the place where people grow to appreciate different dance forms
and other classical arts.
Natyataranga doesn’t just train the students in the presentation of the art form but also in the
choreography of dance dramas and it has also produced dance dramas on diverse subjects like
nature, Kannada literature, mythological stories etc.