QUEBEC, CANADA, May 30, 2019 (The Hindu by Priyamvada Sankar): It has been a saga of 50 years as I adopted the country, which gave back to me generously. Within a few weeks of my arrival in North America, as a new bride, thanks to the contacts of my father Dr. V. Raghavan, I was invited by the Syracuse University and the Colgate University, both situated in upper New York State and renowned for their Music and Dance as well as Sanskrit study departments. My performances — both lecture-demonstrations and Bharatanatyam were well received by the audience, from the U.S. and Canada. After that there was no looking back, as the cliche goes. A student of legend Balasaraswati, I began in a small way starting a school for Bharatanatyam. Soon I started the Priyamvada Sankar School of Bharata Natyam in Montreal in the Fall of 1968. The first of its kind in Montreal.
The silver jubilee of the Priyamvada Sankar School of Bharata Natyam was celebrated in 1994 with shows at different venues in Greater Montreal. Our school continues to engage with other cultural communities and we are regularly invited by the Jewish schools, African, Italian and Greek communities, Church organizations, Bahai, Buddhist and other religious groups. It is with humility that I have to state here that I’m the longest serving member of the Interfaith Council of Montreal I was humbled when I was conferred Order of Merit by the Brossard City and the National Association for Canadians of Indian Origin (NACOI) honored me as the Outstanding Indo-Canadian. The Government of Quebec awarded the Medal of the National Assembly. It was an honor to be a member of Montreal elite, chosen to meet the Dalai Lama during his visit to Canada.
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