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Revathi
Komanduri is a senior disciple of Padma Bhushan Guru Dr. Vempati
Chinna Satyam. She started learning Bharatnatyam at the age of
five, but her parents Sri. Pathri Ananda Mohan and Smt . Bala
Tripura Sundari decided to put her under the tutelage of Guru .
Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam when she was eight. Ever since, her
passion for Kuchipudi knew no bounds, however it was not
something that came from with in herself , but it was something
that came from her Guru. Mastergaru , as he is so lovingly known
was everything that a child could look for in a perfect teacher,
he was not just an ocean of knowledge and a strict
disciplinarian, but was more of a very loving and caring parent
in imparting this art to his students. That is why Kuchipudi
stands so proudly on the face of the earth , flowing like the
Ganga to so many different parts of the world, with no one to
stop her.
Revathi has had the fortune of
performing in many of her guru’s productions, including,
“Srinivasa Kalyanam”, “Rukmini Kalyanam”, “Ardhanaareswaram”,
“Gopika Krishna”, “Sri Pada Paarijatham”, and “Sri Krishna
Paarijatam”. She has also taken part in many tours of the
Kuchipudi Art Academy, Chennai, traveling with the team to
Germany in 1991, and USA in 1994 to name a few.
Revathi was married to Raghuram in 1992 and has settled down in
Atlanta ever since. She has been teaching the art of Kuchipudi
to many students in Atlanta GA, and started a non profit (501)©
(3) organization “Srivaani Kuchipudi Dance Academy “ in 2003.
The school has done many arrangetrams and also reproduced Guru
Vempati’s production “Menaka Viswamitra” in aid of the Gujarath
Earth Quake and Hurricane Katrina.
Revathi was blessed with the “Natya Visharada” and the “Gutti
Bindu Madhavi” award in 1994 from the Kuchipudi Art Academy.
She also has a small biannual scholarship after her mother Smt
Bala Tripura Sundari , given to students of the school who
cherish this art form.
Her children Srikar and Shivaani are also trying to learn this
art form .
The conception of the first production of the school came about
in 2004.The script and music for the theme of “Sri Vighneswara
Vaibhavam” was done by two talented brothers from the village of
Kuchipudi , Sri Dandibhotla Narayana Murthy garu and Sri
Danibhotla Venkata Srinivasa Sastry garu respectively.
Choreography for the lovely script and music started in 2006 .
With many revisions to the script and music, going back and
forth , the dream of “Srivaani Kuchipudi Dance Academy” is
finally going to be a reality on January 10th 2009. And this
could not have been possible without the support of Revathi’s
husband Sri Raghuram and VIBHA , the main sponsor of the show
whose quiet “Saaradhi” in Atlanta GA is Sri Vijay Vemulapalli.
Revathi hopes that with the blessing of her Guru the production
will be successful and without obstacles. Though there were
umpteen obstacles stopping the progress of this project, Revathi
believes that it was the silent strength that she gained from
her Guru Vempati garu that dragged her this far, because He has
not only taught his students the art form but also instilled in
them the character to fight hardships, defeat and rise in the
wake of failure while learning from them.
“Na Guror adhikam tatvam, na guror adhikam tapah,
Tatva jnaanaat param naasti tasmai sri gurave namah”
There is no higher truth that the Guru, no higher austerity than
service to Him, and nothing higher in knowledge than the
realization of what he has given us.
Revathi hopes to do this production as a tribute to her Guru
Vempati garu and wishes that he forgives all the follies that
may arise in the process of doing so. |
