Research
Born and brought up in Bangalore, Shilpa moved to Kodagu in 2007. This brought her closer to her cultural roots and sowed a seed for her to reach deeper into the histories and cultural practices of her land. What started as a passionate endeavour was recognised by the Government of India and she was awarded the prestigious Junior Fellowship for research 2019-2021 in the field of Bharathanatyam. Her chosen topic of research is ‘Adaptation of existing and new compositions in Kodava language into classical format and Bharathanatyam’, which was chosen with a single-minded aim to popularise the dying Kodava language through a well accessed medium like classical dance.
Kodagu or Coorg (in the state of Karnataka) is the land of Kodavas, who have a distinctly unique culture and traditional practices. While there has been some documentation and growth of literature over the past century, the language itself is almost unheard outside of the Kodava community. Shilpa envisioned that the only way to popularise and propagate this language was through an attractive and visual medium like dance, so it could reach everyone. As this work formed a natural bridge between two of her greatest passions, dance and languages, it is an area Shilpa intends on pursuing beyond the fellowship period.
During the course of the research she composed new creations for dance, wrote new poetry in Kodava and also collaborated with other dancers to popularise her work and highlight the cultural nuances. Her inclusive attitude of working with her peers have been acknowledged and appreciated within the fraternity. She wishes to present as well as distribute as many Kodava compositions as possible to dancers across the world.
