Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s2.t11: Kamala Lakshman
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s2.t11
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Kamala Lakshman
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Kamala Lakshman (June 16, 1934-), also called Kumari Kamala, is an Indian dancer and film actress. She was born in a Brahmin family in Mayuram, Madras Presidency. Discovered by a Tamil film director at the age of four, she appeared in the film *Valibar Sangam* with the image of Baby Kamala. Audiences were fascinated by her innocent and lovely dance. Since childhood, she has been accepting all kinds of dance training, especially Bharatanatyam, and was popular among many film directors. She has acted in nearly a hundred films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada all her life. In 1953, she was invited to perform at the coronation of British Queen Elizabeth II. Many state leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Dwight Eisenhower, Zhou Enlai and Tito have even watched her performances.
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In March 1957, Kamala and her sister Radha Lakshman visited China with Indian cultural delegation. Their Bharatanatyam performance received much praise from Chinese audiences. The famous writer Bingxin wrote the article *Impressions of Watching the Dance* to present to Lakshman sisters. She used the “flying beauty” to describe their changing dancing postures, and more graceful rhetoric words and vivid language to describe the beautiful and long-standing culture and art of India. *Impressions of Watching the Dance* was selected into Chinese textbook for grade seven. The delegation visited Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou successively. On April 5, Lakshman sisters bid a
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*Kamala Lakshman on stage*
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farewell performance in Beijing, and at the farewell party, Mei Lanfang, the performing artist of Peking Opera, praised them for their superb performances.
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In 1970, Kamala was awarded the Padma Bhushan issued by the Indian Government. In the early 1980s, she moved to New York and opened a dancing school. In 2010, in recognition of her contribution in art, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded her the honour of national cultural heritage.
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(*Jin Shanshan*)