Nartana Priya at The Bhavan: A Tribute to Gurus U. S. Krishna Rao and Chandrabhaga Devi

Nartana Priya, recognized as Switzerland’s annual festival dedicated to Indian classical dance, will be presented at The Bhavan on 7 March 2026 from 18:30 to 20:00. The program is conceived as a tribute to the pioneering Bharatanatyam gurus U. S. Krishna Rao and Smt. Chandrabhaga Devi, whose contributions shaped the development of Bharatanatyam in Karnataka and beyond.

The production is curated by their disciple, Guru Sujatha Venkatesh, who has worked to preserve and restage the duo’s choreographic works. The presentation revisits several of the couple’s well-known compositions, reflecting their pedagogical approach, musical sensitivity, and narrative clarity within the Bharatanatyam tradition.

Through this tribute, the festival acknowledges the artistic lineage of Guru U. S. Krishna Rao and honors the legacy of Smt. Chandrabhaga Devi, and highlights the role of Guru Sujatha Venkatesh in carrying this repertoire forward for contemporary audiences.

The event forms part of Nartana Priya’s ongoing efforts to present historically rooted Bharatanatyam productions outside India while maintaining links to traditional bani-s and guru–shishya parampara.