# Sangeet Natak Akademi Award winner wants to revive Kuchipudi dance-drama in Karnataka 2026-08-22T21:26:14+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Dr Veena Murthy Vijay, a Kuchipudi exponent, received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 2024 from President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on August 13. Her Bengaluru-based dance school, founded in 1976, is completing 50 years this year. Murthy Vijay said she wants to take Kuchipudi deeper into Karnataka and revive its original dance-drama format, which she said has been overshadowed by solo performances. She also hopes more students will take up certificate and diploma courses that explore the theatrical aspects of Kuchipudi. She emphasised that while experimentation is welcome, it should not ignore traditional pedagogy. The award, she said, is an opportunity to give back to the art that has shaped her life, and she urged youngsters to pursue dance rather than spend time on Instagram and Netflix. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Kuchipudi originated in Andhra Pradesh and has a strong dance-drama tradition rooted in the Bhagavata Mela. In Karnataka, the style has often been taught as a solo form. Murthy Vijay's focus on the original Yakshagana-style presentation could attract new students interested in theatre. Her school, one of the oldest in Bengaluru, has trained hundreds over five decades. The Sangeet Natak Akademi award is a government honour recognising lifetime contribution to performing arts. The next step will be whether her institute launches new certificate courses in dance-drama, which could revive a fading tradition in Karnataka. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Straight news feature on the award and artist's views, no editorial slant This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Bengaluru, Droupadi Murmu, Kuchipudi, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Veena Murthy Vijay Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/sangeet-natak-akademi-award-winner-wants-to-revive-kuchipudi-dance-drama-in-karnataka/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/sangeet-natak-akademi-award-winner-wants-to-revive-kuchipudi-dance-drama-in-karnataka/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/