Baby Kamala

🪔 About

Kamala Lakshmi Narayanan, widely known as "Baby Kamala," "Kumari Kamala," and "Kamala Lakshman," is a legendary figure in Indian classical dance, particularly Bharatanatyam. Born on June 16, 1934, in Mayuram (now Mayiladuthurai), Tamil Nadu, India, she began her dance journey at a remarkably young age. Her initial training in Kathak started at three and a half or five years old under gurus Lachhu Maharaj, Prof. More, and Sunderprasad in Bombay. She also received Hindustani classical music lessons from Shankar Rao Vyas. At the age of seven, she transitioned to Bharatanatyam, making her arangetram debut in 1941 under Kattumannar Kovil Muthukumara Pillai. She then became the prime disciple of the eminent Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai, under whom she refined her artistry and became a preeminent artist of the "Vazhuvoor tradition," a style known for its grace, finesse, and aesthetic appeal. Kamala's career as a child prodigy began with film appearances as "Baby Kamala" in 1938. She starred in almost 100 Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films, including notable works like "Ram Rajya" (1939/1943), "Jagathalaprathapan" (1944), and "Naam Iruvar" (1947), where her dance sequences popularized classical forms among mass audiences. She performed thousands of times on stage, representing India at cultural festivals worldwide and before dignitaries such as Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower in 1959. In the 1970s, she began teaching in the United States, and in 1980, she permanently moved there, establishing the Sri Bharatha Kamalalaya School of Dance in Long Island, New York. She also taught at Colgate University in 1975 as a Branta Professor and as an adjunct professor at SUNY Stonybrook from 1999-2003. Kamala continued to teach generations of students in the New York and New Jersey areas, preserving and promoting the Vazhuvoor style of Bharatanatyam. Awards & Honours: Padma Bhushan (1970), Platinum Jubilee award from Madras Music Academy (2002), National Heritage Fellowship (2010), Soorya Lifetime Achievement Award in 4th St. Louis Indian Dance Festival (2012).