Kedah dance academy is tops in global cultural fest

Compiled by C. ARUNO, BENJAMIN LEE and R. ARAVINTHAN

THE Kala Mandhir Dance Academy based in Kulim, Kedah, won first prize in an international arts and cultural competition in the United Arab Emirates, reported Makkal Osai.

The International Cultural Conclave 2022 Competition Festival was held from Aug 13-16 at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai.

The festival, featuring Indian Barathanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak and Odisi performances, saw 174 teams participating from 10 countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and India.

Academy founder and dance teacher Sujatha Kumar said the team had made the county proud with its impressive win at the competition.

The seven team members, he added, had been training in the Barathanatyam for about 10 years.

> The daily also reported that the Malaysia Tamil Writers Association would be hosting a book launch for local writer P. Rajendran’s new book Manthira Kananggal (Magical Moments).

The event this Sunday has attracted considerable attention from local leaders, literary figures and supporters, said the organisers, including, among others, MIC vice-president Datuk T. Mohan.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.