College Profile
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Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya was established in the year 1973 by the famous dancer academician Padma Bhushan Dr. Smt. Kanak Rele. Currently Dr. Smt. Uma Rele is the Principal of the college. The College is permanently affiliated to the University of Mumbai, assessed & accredited by the National Accreditation & Assessment Council (NAAC) with B++ in the third cycle. It has been conferred with “Autonomous” status by the UGC in July 2024 this year.
It is a grant-in-aid institution recognized by the U.G.C. under 2(f) & 12(b) of the UGC Act 1956. The college has over the years grown & completed 49 years of its dedicated service in the field of dance education. The ancient guru-shishyaparampara (teacher-taught tradition) is practiced in Nalanda with a twist of University Education in Dance. The standard of discipline is well maintained and the student-teacher relations are absolutely cordial. The college provides personal counseling to the students as well.
Infact this college till date is the only college of Indian Classical Dance Under the University of Mumbai where degrees are awarded to students at the Bachelors, Masters & Ph.D. levels. The college has always been conscious of its role as a constructive and responsible part of the larger society. Thus it gives utmost attention to the overall development of the personality of students.
The practical side teaching is still being done in a traditional method; the theory is taken care of by academically trained dancers and professors. The university curriculum has added newer theoretical dimensions to traditional practical training. The students are systematically taught the Shastric sanction and basis of existing dance practice an aspect which is of utmost importance if the purity of dance practice is to be maintained and comprehended, but which is today absent from the traditional method of training. At the post-graduate level, the students take comparative theory papers on aesthetics, world theatrical traditions, etc. and gain teaching experience. They also take up topics for research/investigation. Most importantly the students are systematically taught to choreograph items as per the traditional framework. Over the years, Nalanda has created an array of the exceptionally well-trained, highly qualified and scholarly generation of dancers who are not only proficient performers but also excellent theoreticians, analyzers and teachers.