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
V R Devika, the founder trustee of the Aseema Trust is a well known cultural activist who has a passion for performing arts and education. She is a a researcher on Mahatma Gandhi, a coordinator of Prakriti Foundation, a cultural resource person for scholars and visitors to India, an art critic trained in dance, a freelance writer contributing to leading publications.
Devika has an M.A. on Gandhian thought from Madurai Kamaraj University, and is presently working for a PhD on “Gandhi and his communication” from the University of Madras. She conducts regular workshops on Charka-spinning, peace education and communication skills for students and teachers. Much decorated, Devika has been honoured with vocational excellence awards from the Rotary clubs, the British Council’s Charles Wallace Award for Arts in Education, a lifetime achievement award from the Amir Khusro music academy, a woman’s day honour from Jaycees, a best lecture demonstration award from the Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, The Kalasevabharathi award from Bharath Kalachar for contributions to arts and education, the Gnanasamudhra title award from Samudhra magazine, Chennai. She studied volunteerism in the US under an international visitor programme, when she also received honorary citizenship from the Governor of Maryland.
Devika is widely networked and extensively travelled. She is a South India partner of World Education, a Boston-based international NGO that seeks education for all. Formerly the director of the Madras Craft Foundation (1985-96) and now a consultant, she is a member of the advisory council of its project Dakshinachitra Heritage Center.
She has taken part in numerous conferences worldwide, with papers and keynote presentations. To cite just a few examples: She was a delegate to the World Creativity Summit in Taiwan (2008) and in Hong Kong (2007). She has made presentations at the International Partnership Network Conferences in Finland, Sweden, USA, UK, Norway and South Africa. She was a delegate to the conference on cultural imagination at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. She directed a performance of traditional, classical and rural performing arts from south India at a conference in Chicago (September 2006). She directed a performance of youth theatre groups at a festival in Spain (January 2006). She took part in the UNESCO International Experts Steering Committee on arts in education (Portugal, 2005). She organized a tour of children of folk artists’ families from rural South India at the Netherlands World Children’s festival. She covered Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s visit to the Festival of India in the US for The Week magazine,
A dance disciple of the Dhananjayans, she has given lectures on the theory and practice of the dance and culture of India. She was a panelist on “Bharathanatyam yesterday, today and outside India ” at a dance festival in France in 1989. She was the keynote speaker at the “Dance and the Child International” conference in Finland. She received a UNESCO fellowship to study Mask dance in Indonesia.
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.
Sowmya Balakrishnan
(Project officer)
.jpg)
The Aseema Trust is happy to welcome a new team member Sowmya Balakrishnan.
Born in Madras and brought up entirely in Kolkotta, Sowmya is an Honours graduate in Nutrition. She has learnt Bharathanatyam from Smt. Thankamani Kutty in Kalamandalam, Calcutta and Carnatic vocal from Sangeeta Bhushanam Smt. Leela Rajagopalan. Has the experience of having worked in Hongkong Bank for 3 years and Standard Chartered for 10 years. She has also been associated with Chinmaya Bala Vihar, Calcutta.
Sowmya continued pursuing her interests after marriage and walked into the Aseema office in Nov 2009 after resigning from corporate work. It has been a pleasure to have her with us and she feels it has been a pleasure to have the teaching and a learning experience at the same time. Sowmya says “I look forward to working on the different projects Aseema undertakes and contribute my bit. This not only gives me an opportunity to do my best but also helps me develop a well-rounded personality.”
About