CultureNational and Dravidian movements
Proposal to rename sadir as Bharatanatyam
· Chennai
E. Krishna Iyer moved a resolution at the Madras Music Academy to rename the dance form sadir as Bharatanatyam.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s Muthulakshmi Reddy and others sought to abolish the devadasi system and condemned nautch performances. E. Krishna Iyer, a lawyer and Congressman, argued in letters to the Madras Mail that the dance itself should be preserved. At a 1932 meeting of the Madras Music Academy he proposed a resolution to rename sadir as Bharatanatyam. He worked with Rukmini Devi Arundale to promote the dance among new performers and audiences.
