Welcome to Devaniya, the Kathak dance school headed by Jigyasa Giri in Chennai. Here students are taught the basic movements and finer nuances of Kathak. As you browse through the site, you will get a glimpse into this graceful dance form of Northern India. Click HERE for a glimpse into one of our performances.
Devaniya is a homage to two beautiful and dynamic women, two great lovers of performing arts and academics – Devayani and Vani Bai.
Jigyasa remembers her mother Dr Devayani Patel, as a genius in her own right, a gynaecologist, obstretician, psychiatrist and hypno-therapist par excellence. Despite her busy schedules she continued her lessons in Hindustani classical music and insisted that her daughters learn classical dance and music along with their academics. She found teachers and musicians, and lost no opportunity to ensure that her daughters did their riyaaz meticulously.
Mrs. Vani Bai, a learned musician and melodious singer of carnatic and Hindustani classical music, was chief producer, music at All India Radio. Widowed at a young age with seven children to bring up, she was a strong, talented woman who left no stone unturned in inculcating the love for arts & music in her children. Both these dynamic women are no longer with us, but their passion, their legacy is embedded in the spirit of their families.
When Jigyasa married into the Giri family, her mother-in-law, Mrs Mohini Giri was delighted that art was to continue in her home, this time in the form of Kathak dance. She said again and again, “Jigyasa, our family is blessed with art – both from your mother (Devayani) and my mother (Vani). Set up your dance school in their names and spread the beauty of art in many hearts.” Thus our dance school was born and named ‘Devaniya’ . It simply also means – “like the divine” or “that which is divine”.
