Home > About the Trust
Founded in 1996 the trust aims at bridging arts, artists, and education in an ever-expanding network.
Through a focus on the performing arts of South India such as puppetry,
dance, theater, and music, the Aseema Trust reinforces a respect for differences,
dignity in labor, and integrity in cultural preservation. Today, several
projects fall under the Aseema umbrella, from teaching Gandhian principles
through spinning workshops , to leading a group of Indian performing arts
children through the Netherlands, to storytelling at a temporary shelter
for Tsunami survivors in Nagapattinum District, Tamil Nadu, to conducting
a project using traditional performing arts as an empowering tool for
young girls and partnering with several organisations in art and education.
The Team Behind the Trust:
V.R.Devika, Managing Trustee
Vasantha Parthasharathy, Finance Manager/ Coordinator
Ashwini Kasi, Project Field Officer
V.R.Devika, Managing Trustee
Passionate about working with children, Devika came to Chennai as a young woman from her native city of Mysore , Karnataka, to pursue higher education. But was asked to join a position as a Kindergarten school teacher. She loved it so much that she forgot all about doing a masters (she did persue a masters in Gandhian Thought thirty years later and is now working on a PHD on Gandhi at the department of Philosophy, University of Madras) . Devika also started learning the South Indian dance form of Bharata Natyam and began to incorporate lessons from the traditional art into her teaching method. Deep interest in the theory of dance and her Gurus Smt Shantha and Shri V.P.Dhananjayan's encouragement of compering dance shows and giving lectures on dance lead her to be invited to become a dance critic in The Indian Express and later The Hindu and The WEEK Magazine. Acknowledged for her innovations in linking art and education, Devika was invited to become the director of education and culture at INTACH and the Madras Craft Foundation. Always interested in history, Devika also is deeply interested in M.K. Gandhi and his innovative methods of reaching out to people. Drawing on her years of experience in the field of art and education, Devika gained the confidence and support to launch the Aseema Trust. Her extensive international travel has exposed her to various cultures and forms of educations that also continuously enhance Aseema Trust projects.
Having lived in Chennai since 1974, Devika has established an important role within the arts and service communities of the city. She attributes the Trust’s ability to touch people’s lives to the many personal connections that she has made throughout the city and beyond. In her mind, Aseema is about sharing the love of learning and the beauty of art to help those in need.
To read an extended profile of V.R.Devika, click
here
V.R.Devika's Blog
Click Here
Vasantha Parthasarathy (Finance Manager/Coordinator)
Vasantha Parthasarathy has an M.A.Economic from Government College, Kumbakonam. She as a part of the team coordinated International Conferences and other programmes of Aseema Trust. She is the Finance manager and Coordinator. she has great commitment and sincerity towards her work.
Ashwini Kasi (Project Field Officer)
Ashwini Kasi has a Master's in Geography from Madras University. she has completed IGNIIT course from NIIT and also Arts Management Course Conducted by Madras Craft Foundation. She is working in The South India Girl Child Initiative Project as the Project Field Officer. The Aseema Trust encouraged her to webdesigning course and she is currently the person in charge of updating and maintaining the Aseema website.