V. Satyanarayana Sarma Biography 
V. Satyanarayana Sarma was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer from Kuchipudi village of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh. He was one of the leading exponents of the classical dance form of Kuchipudi best known for portraying female characters in his classical performances. For his overall contributions towards the field of arts, especially Kuchipudi, Government of India honoured him with the fourth highest civilian honour - Padma Shri in 1970. He was also a recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Kalidas Samman for his immense contributions towards arts.
Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma was born in 1935 in Kuchipudi, Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh. His family is known for its Kuchipudi tradition. In fact the most popular classical dance form of Andhra Pradesh was born in this village, and the art form is named after this village as well. He was born to Vedantam Venkataratnam and Subbamma. He started training Kuchipudi at the age of five under his elder brother, Vedantam Prahalada Sarma. He continued learning under different gurus. He made his first public performance at the age of 14 at a local temple. His first major performance came at the age of 19, when he portrayed goddess Parvaty on stage at an event in Delhi. Since then he mostly played female mythological characters on stage.
His portrayal of Sathyabhama in the dance-drama, Bhama Kalapam became his signature role. Usha in Usha Parinayam, Deva Devi in Vipra Narayana, Mohini in Mohini Rukmangada, Sasirekha in Sasirekha Parinayam and Gollabhama in Gollakalapam are his major female charter roles on stage. Sarma was married to Lakshminarasamma and had three children. He died in 2012 due to respiratory illness.
Published: March 01, 2019
Updated: March 01, 2019
