Dinesh Kamath's news 'Bharatnatyam Arangetram to be performed by Disciples of Guru Smt. Mary Mac Mohan Paul at Panvel on 19 Dec' that was published in Newsband

Bharatnatyam Arangetram to be performed by Disciples of Guru Smt. Mary Mac Mohan Paul at Panvel on 19 Dec

By Dinesh Kamath

Indian Cultural Academy, Centre for Cultural & Social Service, Navi Mumbai has organized Bharatnatyam Arangetram which will be performed by Disciples of Guru Smt. Mary Mac Mohan Paul on Saturday, 19 December, 2015, from 6 pm onwards at Krantiveer Vasudev Balwant Phadke Hall, Near Saraswati Vidya Mandir Municipal School and Police Station, Panvel. The performers will be Manimala Nagachander Kadamanda, Sakshi Maruti Chikhalekar, Shivani Kiran Tawadare, Nayan Chandrakant Mahadkar, Shalaka Santosh Sonawane, Parineeta Pankaj Patil, P. Priyadarshini and Neha Pandit Fangal. The chief guests will be Mr Ramseth Thakur, Ex-MP, Mr Balaram Patil, Ex- President Raigad Zilla Parishad and Mr Adesh Bandekar, Secretary – Shiv Sena, Maharashtra State Actor. Guests of Honour are Mr Mahendra Bhopi, Social Workers, Mr Rahul Patil, Social Worker and Mr. Laughy Mac Mohan Paul, Nattuvanganar & Choreographer (International Dancer).

Guru Smt. Mary Mac Mohan Paul is a well known exponent of Bharatnatyam, the real Guru of the Shishyas and a renowned choreographer & Nattuvanganar. She is the respected Principal of Indian Cultural Academy, since 1994. She has dedicated herself for spreading the popularity of this famous dance form of the South.

She hails from a Christian family in Coimbatore Dist. Of Tamilnadu. She is a born dancer and started learning Bharatnatyam at an early age of six years, under the able guidance of Guru late Shri Gopalakrishnan. She completed her graduation in 1981 in Natya Visharatha from Tamil Nadu, Govt. Music College, Madurai. After her Graduation, she worked as a Bharatnatyam teacher in Kalai Kaveri Music School, Trichy & Ooty.

She has presented her dance on many occasions in stages, temples and churches. In 1983 she took part in 5^th Ulaga Tamil Maanadu (5^th World Tamil Conference) at Madhurai, organised by Late Dr. M. G. Ramachandran, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. This has been one of her most memorable performance. Her Arangetram performance was held in the Church in 1978 at the age of 12. She has given 56 performance throughout India.

In 1987 Guru Mary Paul migrated to Mumbai and worked as a teacher in Classical Dance Academy. In Mumbai she completed her advanced course under the guidance of eminent gurus like late Kalaimamani Kathirvelu Pillai and Late Ramaswamy Bhagawathar.

With the help and support of her husband Shri Mac Mohan Paul she established Indian Classical Arts & Cultural Trust (ICACT) which got registered in 1997.

In 30 years of her teaching she has taught this dance form to more than 2800 students. Guru Mary Paul has conducted 33 Arangetrams during last 13 years in Navi Mumbai. She trains many students. She has conducted Arangetram for more than 500 students till date.

Mary Paul’s contribution as a dedicated Guru, Organiser is a vital link in protecting a better perspective of Indian Cultural, traditional and divine art Bharatnatyam in North India.

Indian Classical Arts and Cultural Trust has 23 centres at places like Nerul, Sanpada, CBD, Kharghar, Khanda Colony, Panvel and New Panvel, CBD Kairali, JNPT Township, Kamothe, Ghansoli, Airoli, Seawoods & Uran. ICACT teaches the physically challenged and under privileged children free of cost.

ICACT has given programme abroad and also participated in competitions at international level. Academy was invited by Arya Samaj to participate in a International Dance event in Bangkok & Thailand. 40 students from the Academy performed in Marathi Day Celebration at Mauritius in May 2015 and were awarded by Shri Santaram Baboo (Art & Culture Minister of Mauritius). On July 2015, ICACT was selected from whole of India to perform at WCF (World Children Festival) in Washington DC, USA, where 78 countries had participated & ICACT had represented India. This Academy has made India feel proud in all these countries.