
Sruti, the India Music and Dance Society
Founded in 1986, Sruti promotes and presents Indian classical music and dance to educate the Philadelphia community on the importance of Indian arts. Over the past 20 years, Sruti has presented artists such as sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar (as part of the organization's 10th-anniversary celebration) and Sudha Raghunathan, one of the world's most acclaimed Carnatic vocalists. In addition to public presentations, Sruti also publishes an annual magazine, Sruti Ranjani, and a periodical, Sruti Notes. In 2015, Sruti received a Center grant to present the premiere of Saayujya (The Merging), a performance inspired by themes of liberty and freedom drawn from Philadelphia's history, featuring two of India's preeminent artists, bharata natyam dancer Priyadarsini Govind and Carnatic musician T. M. Krishna. Center support also funded Sruti's 2014 Philadelphia debut of leading bharata natyam dancer Malavika Sarukkai, as well as Sounds of India: Influences and Integration of Folk Melodies in Carnatic Music (2012).