Subhashini Vasanth founder of Vasantharatna Foundation for Arts (VRFA) and Dr Vyjayantimala Bali at Sadashivnagar in Bengaluru
The arts have been an integral part of my person and have also been a therapeutic and healing factor in my life,” says Subhashini Vasanth, whose life has been an example of her dedication towards dance.
Trained under eminent personalities in bharathanatyam and kathak, she has performed for diverse audiences in venues across India and abroad. Subhashini is recognised as a national level artiste by ICCR, Doordarshan and IRCEN and is also the founder Trustee of ‘Vasantharatna Foundation for Arts’, started in memory of her husband Col Vasanth, the first Ashoka Chakra awardee from Karnataka.
Subhashini says, “I have been dancing since my childhood. After I got married, my husband’s work took us all over the country but he was very particular that I keep dancing and teaching. I have taken classes in remote places in Pathankot and Uri at a time when people didn’t know much about South Indian classical dances. He was always very particular that I share my art.”
She now divides her time performing and teaching bharathanatyam and also reaching out to the larger world in aid of martyrs’ families. Combining her two passions, Subhashini will be presenting a bharathanatyam recital as part of the program titled ‘Salute to Heroes’ on October 21, 6 pm onwards at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall. She will be doing so under the guidance of guru Dr Vyjayanthimala Bali, herself a distinguished exponent. The programme is a tribute to commemorate the tenth anniversary of ‘Vasantharatna Foundation for Arts’ in its vision to reach out to the families left behind by the martyred soldiers.
“The activities of the foundation are to build awareness as well as allow people a platform to pay tribute. We have conducted ‘Salute to Heroes’ thrice already. In between we had some issues with the funding and I got busy wiorking directly with the families of the martyrs. But since this was the tenth year and since I got a guru like Vyjayanthimalaji, I thought of doing it again as a tribute,” says Subhashini.
Displaying immense pride in her student, Vyjayanthimala Bali says, “Subhashini has worked very hard for this event. I like her sincerity, hard work and devotion. I am quite a hard task master but we bonded well as guru and shishya.”
Vyjayanthimala herself will be on stage, conducting the ‘nattuvangam’ and the music on stage. The accompanying artistes are coming in from Chennai.
Asked about her thoughts on the programme, she says, “This is for a good cause. It is a dedication to the people who protect us and guard us and what better way than dance, which is worship and prayer in itself.”