Overview for Mohiniyattam
Deepti Omchery Bhalla
A multifaceted artiste, Dr. Deepti Omchery Bhalla is proficient in Indian classical dance forms like Mohiniyattam and Kathakali and is a musician with a strong base in the Carnatic and Hindustani styles of music. She is currently Professor in Carnatic Music at the Faculty of Music Arts, University of Delhi. She learnt Carnatic music from her mother Dr. Leela Omchery, T.S. Raghavan and the teachers of the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, University of Delhi. She was trained in Hindustani music by the Dagar Brothers and Yunus Hussain Khan. Dr. Deepti learnt Mohiniyattam from the great exponent of the dance form, Kalamandalam Kalyanikuttiyamma. She learnt Kathakali under Guru Punnathur Madhava Panikkar, Guru Gopinath, Guru Nelliyodu Vasudevan Nampoothiri and Guru Sadanam Balakrishnan, besides the teachers of the International Centre for Kathakali, New Delhi. She has performed in all major dance festivals in India. Her performances abroad include those at the Festival of India (former USSR), Fukoka Festival, Japan, and many more. She is the recipient of Abhivyakti Kala Sangam Award, New Delhi, for dance, and the Sangeet Natak Academy Award, Kerala. Her performances exude vitality and warmth enchanting the initiated and the uninitiated alike.