Maa tujhe salaam!

Hema Malini will pay tribute to her mother, late Jaya Chakravarthy, through ‘Jaya Smriti’

Despite her preoccupation with films, Hema Malini has always taken out time to promote Indian classical dance and music. Back in 1972, her family had set up an institute called Natyavihar Kala Kendra for this purpose. Now, with ‘Jaya Smriti’, Hema wants to further the cause by giving young talent a platform to showcase their skills and encourage them to pursue the arts.

Started in 2005 in the memory of her mother Jaya Chakravarthy (who passed away in 2004), ‘Jaya Smriti’ is held every year around 25 June, her mother’s death anniversary. This year however, it will be held a day before at the Iskon auditorium. Says Hema, “My mother worshipped art and always promoted it, so I thought this was the best homage to her. ‘Jaya Smriti’ invites young performers from across India.”

Reminiscing  about her mother, Hema says, “I owe my success to her. I was just a normal school-going girl; she recognised the potential in me. I wish every mother was like her who would recognise their child’s potential and train them.”

Hema says she wants to see her institute branch out, but is not getting enough support. “I’ve been struggling for the last ten years to get a piece of land to run my institute, but I am not getting any support from the government of Maharashtra. It appears that nobody is interested in promoting the arts,” she laments.

p_sapana@dnaindia.net