Rukmini Devi Arundale
Rukmini Devi Arundale (* February 29, 1904 in Madurai, † February 24, 1986 in India) was an Indian dancer, politician and theosophist.
Life and work
Childhood, Youth and marriage
Rukmini Devi was born on February 29, 1904 in Madurai as one of eight children of Nilakanta Sastri and his wife Seshammal. The family belonged to the Brahmin caste, the father was an engineer and a well-known Sanskrit scholar, highly respected family and wealthy. As Rukmini Devi was 7 years old, the family moved to Chennai, as the now retired father, the local Theosophical Society Adyar wanted to connect ( Adyar -TG). Since that time, Rukmini Devi was with Theosophy in contact. For a time she was secretary of Annie Besant, in the second half of the 1910s she met the theosophist George Arundale, was his servant and companion, and in 1920 she married him. The marriage caused a scandal in the conservative Brahmins, as her husband, an Englishman who was regarded as a foreigner and contradicted a marriage to a Brahmin tradition. Rukmini Devi was at that time 16, her husband, however already 41 years old. To smooth things over and the Adyar -TG, which was also criticized by the marriage, to bring out of the firing line, left the couple went to Chennai and Mumbai. Since anbahnten difficulties for the Adyar -TG also there, she went to Europe together for several years to work there for Theosophy. Rukmini Devi Arundale accompanied on most of his trips around the world, including the majority of companies within and outside the TG they worked together. The marriage remained childless, her husband George died on 12 August 1945, when she was 41 years old, she married a second time. Rukmini Devi was the sister of Sri Ram Nilakanta, this later became president of the Adyar -TG.
Work for the Adyar -TG
Since her youth, Rukmini Devi has worked on numerous projects in Adyar -TG. 1923 appointed Besant them as President of the All India Federation of Young Theosophists and 1925 president of the World Federation of Young Theosophists. After the death of Annie Besant Rukmini Devi's husband, George Arundale was, in June 1934 New President of the Adyar -TG. Before the year 1934, she founded the Besant Memorial School and, after they had heard of the work of reform educator Maria Montessori, they invited this one to India in order to oblige them for school. 1939 Montessori followed the invitation, not least because Benito Mussolini had declared in Italy as undesirable. Along with her son, Mario, she took over the training of teachers at the Besant Memorial School and designed the school according to their principles. Later it was renamed Besant Theosophical School and exists today (2006 ), nor as a university in Varanasi. In 1980 she competed alongside Radha Burnier to the presidency of the Adyar -TG, but lost this when voting.
The Dancer
Rukmini Devi was artistically interested from childhood, particularly in music and dance. In this she was encouraged by her mother, who had the same field of interest. In many meetings and meetings of the Adyar -TG, there were also artistic performances, in the 1920s, Rukmini Devi learned in their travels a broad artistic repertoire of theater about painting, music, opera familiar to ballet. From the Russian champion dancer Anna Pavlovna Pavlova she finally learned ballet and this convinced them also to study classical Indian dance. They learned the dance style Bharatanatyam know and appreciate what another scandal among conservative forces unleashed because this dance was mostly, performed only by the Bayadère, prostitution related dancers and Rukmini Devi as Brahman had derartigem stay away. However, it was not discouraged, but developed the Bharatanatyam further by rearranged the music, costumes changed and the representation in terms of aesthetics perfected, all the thought kind vulgarity without following. To this end they even called their own textile workshop in which the costumes were made according to their instructions, to life.
Finally, she co-founded with her husband on the grounds of the Adyar -TG on January 6, 1936 The International Academy of Arts, later renamed Kalakshetra. For this, they hired the most important musicians and dancers of India. Her first student was later President of the Adyar TG Radha Burnier, soon bore its first fruits, in which the middle class sent their daughters to dance training. From traditional dance dramas inspired, she created this new, took over the choreography and created it, despite only minor changes, one of the contemporary Bharatanatyam and adapted so that they revolutionized the Indian dance scene.
Gradually turning into a veritable art academy, developed with an emphasis on music and dance. 1962/63 moved the Kalakshetra after Thiruvanmiyur, a district of Chennai, where she ( 2006) is located today. Kalakshetra is a cultural academy today for the preservation of traditional Indian values and consists, inter alia, further leading from school, college and university.
1967 Rukmini Devi was a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Performing Arts.
The politician
In April 1952, she was appointed by the President of India, Rajendra Prasad Rajya Sabha in the 1956 and confirmed one more time in this position. Here she became involved mainly for animal welfare, especially since they have a strictly vegetarian himself lived. She was also instrumental in setting up the Indian National Park program. Later she was offered to run for the office of Indian President, but they refused. From 1955 until her death in 1986, she was Vice President of the International Vegetarian Union ( IVU ).
Death and Obituary
Rukmini Devi Arundale died on February 24, 1986, shortly before their 82nd birthday. In India, Rukmini Devi is one of today (2006) the best known and most famous people in the country. On her birthday, the Rukmini Devi Day is celebrated. In addition to many awards they have received during his lifetime, numerous schools, roads and parks are named after her.
Works
- Art and culture in Indian life. Kerala University Press, Trivandrum 1975
- Selections, Some selected speeches and writings of Rukmini Devi Arundale. Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai 2003