Kalakshetra is a cultural academy dedicated to the preservation of traditional values in Indian art, especially in the field of Bharatanatyam dance and Gandharvaveda music. The academy was founded in January 1936 by Rukmini Devi Arundale. Under Arundale’s guidance the institution achieved national and international recognition for its unique style and perfection. In 1962, Kalakshetra moved to a new campus in Besant Nagar, Chennai, India, occupying 40 hectares (99 acres) of land.
In January 1994, an Act of the Indian Parliament recognised the Kalakshetra Foundation as an ‘Institute of National Importance’
Kalakshetra, later known as the Kalakshetra Foundation was established by Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale, along with her husband, Dr. George Arundale, a known theosophist, in Adyar, Chennai in 1936. She not only invited the best of students, but also noted teachers, musicians and artists to be a part of this institution.[6]
Year long celebrations, including lectures, seminars and festivals marked her 100th birth anniversary, on February 29, in 2004 at Kalakshetra and elsewhere in many parts of the world,[7] also on February 29, a photo exhibition on her life opened at the Lalit Kala Gallery in New Delhi, and on the same day, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam released a photo-biography, written and compiled by Dr. Sunil Kothari with a foreword by former president R. Venkataraman.[8][9][10]
| Established | January 1936 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Rukmini Devi Arundale |
| Director | karunakara menon[1] |
| Chairman | Gopalkrishna Gandhi[2] |