Narthaki

I have watched this little, small, madness of mine take wing and become the daily habit of thousands of dance maniacs around the world. How strange and wonderful that a bee-in-my bonnet that stung me in New York twelve years ago could morph from one book, a second edition and finally into its current avatar in cyberspace!

When NARTHAKI was published in 1992, it received a rapturous response and came to be called the "Bible" of Indian dance. The second edition in 1997 was welcomed for the continuity it provided. NARTHAKI went online in April 2000 and can be regarded as the third edition.

Technology has truly become a friend of the Arts. The constant mobility that confronts artistes of today makes it necessary for quick and regular updates in NARTHAKI and the print medium cannot keep up with constantly altering details. The net is the perfect solution, instantly capable of recording movement / growth / new dimension and offering the ideal connection.

We have relished going techno-savvy, building bridges with new friends, countries and proposals. The way this medium has taken a giant hold of our lives is quite exciting and forced us to acknowledge that we are on a common journey of creative enterprise - we can reach out and share as fast as we can get or give, we cannot be left behind.

In the last year, we have seen visitors to the site jump significantly to the now monthly average of nearly 5,00,000 hits. We are honored to be able to share this site with our dance network around the globe. We hope you feel this way too.

Founder and Consulting Editor Anita Ratnam