Ms. R Muthu Kannammal
Ms. R Muthu Kannammal, an 84-year-old Sadir dancer from Viralimalai, Tamil Nadu, has appeared in more than 1,000 dance and singing performances during the past 70 years. She has received Padma Shri for her artistic achievements.
Who is Ms. R Muthukannammal ?
A seventh-generation experienced Sadir dancer from Tamil Nadu, India, R Muthu Kannammal was born in 1937. She is the last woman to have the rite pottukkattutal of committing oneself to God done at the Viralimalai temple. She is the last survivor of the 32 Devadasis who served the deity at the Viralimalai Murugan temple. Muthukannammal received the Padma Shri award from the Indian government in 2022 in recognition of her services to the arts. The dance style Sadir, also known as Sadiraattam, Parathaiyar Aattam, or Thevarattam, is a traditional form of Indian dance. In 1932, E Krishna Iyer and Rukmini Devi Arundale redesigned, renovated, and renamed it Bharatanatyam.