Alapana Centre for Indian Music and Dance

Alapana Centre for Indian Music and Dance teaches Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam at 684 Race Course Road in Little India. The centre was founded and is directed by Mrs R. Banumathy, who teaches veena and vocal music and is the daughter and disciple of Sangita Kalanidhi Dr S. Ramanathan; through him, alapana carries a direct teaching lineage described as a sixth-generation representation of the Carnatic Trinity tradition. Its course list is firmly South Indian classical: Carnatic vocal music, veena, violin, mridangam and tabla, plus Bharatanatyam dance. Teaching runs in three modes. Regular courses follow a structured syllabus across Standard, Intermediate and Advanced divisions, each split into three stages, with fixed weekly days and optional annual examinations and certificates for students who want them. Flexi-learn courses bend around the student's schedule and the individual teacher's plan, and special courses are mounted around particular themes. The calendar is anchored by community events such as the Thyagaraja Aradhana and Akhandam and the centre's anniversary productions, where students perform the repertoire they have studied. Enquiries go to 6396 3296 or welcome@alapana.org.