Indian icon winner for dance and music classes in schools

With an ambition to transform students of the government and zilla parishad high schools across the Telugu-speaking states to excel, Seetha Madabhushi, an NRI from the USA wanted to add classical music and dance as part of the academic syllabus.

Coming from a musical family Seetha says that classical music and dance has a great impact on the minds of children to learn easily which was proven. With about three decades of experience in classical music and dance, she aspires to bring the traditional form of music and dance to the masses who study in the government schools to build a bright future.

Seetha spoke to The Womenia on the occasion of receiving the Indian Icon Award 2018. Philanthropic Society of India recognised her service in charity and the support extended towards young talent. Former AP Chief Minister and former Tamil Nadu Governor K Roshaiah presented the award on behalf of the society.

Seetha said that at a very tender age she started learning classical music, Veena, Bharatanatyam, and Carnatic music under the tutelage of her grandmother. Her passion and discipline for music still follows her to this day.
She underwent training at the age six under accomplished artists and performed in many ballets, including the Ramayana Shadow play, Srinivasa Kalyanam, Sri Krishna Parijatam, and other social dramas. Her skill in Bharatanatyam soon saw her progression into the Kuchipudi dance style and she has been performing for the last 15 years.

She said with the inspiration from her mother T Prabhavathi Devi, who was a musician and her father Dr T Krishnamachary, who does a lot of charity, she carried forward their charity. She later immigrated to Houston, United States of America with her family. She completed her formal education from Houston Baptist University and began working as a business analyst and project manager for various industries for nearly 18 years.

However, her passion for music did not stop. Since 1986, her main goal was to perform Rangapravesam. In 2012, Seetha made her dream a reality by performing her Natya Rangapravesam also known as Arangetram under the guidance of guru Vedantam Raghava.

Seetha has also learned ballroom dancing from Fred Astaire Dance Studio. She also has received training in Carnatic vocal under Usha Narasimhan. She is now learning Carnatic violin under the guidance of Siva Krishna Swaroop, a disciple of renowned violin scholar Peri Sree Rama Murthy. Seetha’s skill sets have allowed her to perform in many cultural programmes in Houston, including the International Festival. She has also performed extensively in India at various music festivals and temples.

Seetha has served in several capacities with Jeeyar Educational Trust (JET) USA, Houston Chapter coordinator, fundraising co-chair for Ashtalakshmi Temple, Secretary for Ashtalakshmi Temple, and chairperson for the Inaugural JET USA National Convention in 2013 and currently Secretary for JET USA’s national board. Seetha has served the community and supported the arts in several capacities.

She took the bold decision to merge the two when she founded the Global Creative Arts Academy Inc. (GCAA) in 2016. GCAA’s mission is to promote Indian classical music and dance on a global level as well as provide a platform for students to showcase their talents in Indian cultural and classical arts. She understands the true challenges anyone pursing traditional dance and arts can face, and has launched various programmes at the GCAA to help them.

With loads of experience she wishes to introduce classical music and dance form to the kindergarten students of the government and the municipal schools. She wishes to start at her home town Tanuku to create employment to musicians and expects the nod from the department.

By: Pradeep C