The Indian tradition of medical excellence pre-dates the advent of writing. Dhanwantari, Sushruta and Charaka gave the knowledge of Ayurveda to the world. Ancient Indian medical theses include those on internal medicine, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, surgery, toxicology, psychiatry, paediatrics and the science of rejuvenation and fertility.

I have asked most of the international celebrities whom I taught dance, how they manage to fight "backstage jitters" just before a performance. Madonna, Shakira, Beyonce and even Kenny G have the same fears.

My student actress Kajol once told me due to stage fright she can never do live performances. It is natural for any dancer to feel nervous right before going on stage. Often this nervousness can hinder a dancer’s performance. As we become seasoned performers, we learn how to use this nervousness to our advantage.

He swirls, he twirls and he makes you feel as absorbed as he is in his trance like movements. The lyrical movements that flow take you to another level of spirituality. Meet Astad Deboo, India’s celebrated modern and contemporary dancer who recently performed his latest offering "Breaking Boundaries". It had premiered earlier this year and was in association with the Salaam Balak Trust and Astad Deboo Foundation. Astad has been actively involved in projects with the hearing and speech impaired for the past 20 years. This time with Salaam Balak Trust he is working with the less privileged children. The performance consisted of five choreographed movement pieces. They explored on different aspects of space, time, mood and emotion. And there is a rich layer of emotion.

There are two strains of the Indian theatrical tradition, which in my opinion, are indispensable for imparting the right kind of acting discipline to any serious group of actors. They come from the folk theatre and the Sanskrit drama. Indeed they complement one another. It is through this blend that I am seeking to get a modern theatre – how successfully, the audience alone will know."

—Habib Tanvir

Sex, morality and censorship. Don’t these three words still make us cringe and raise our eyebrows in the conventional mode of society that we exist? The latest offering by Arpana, a theatre group, questions and explores the issue of censorship in society, more so in theatre and films. Directed by Sunil Shanbag, developed by Shanta Gokhale and Irawati Karnik, S*x, M*rality And Cens*rship compels you to give these ideas a thought from different perspectives. Using the immortal character of Sakharam Binder as the backdrop of the play, it explains the development of theatre from the controversial and challenging ’70s, through the ’80s, which brought a lull and finally the modern day hypocrisy.

Delhi-based ceramic artiste Dipalee Daroz finds the sound of music in the soil. Her solo show titled "Sounding Clay", which is on at Art Alive Gallery in New Delhi as part of the Delhi International Arts Festival 2009, brings together a series of stoneware sculptures, chiseled over a period of about seven years.

When you see an elegant dancer on the dance floor spinning and twirling around swiftly have you ever wondered from where does that smoothness come? Graceful dancers swinging to the beat of Cha Cha Cha and salsa keep you glued to their silky movements. Dancing to the rhythm with an elegance of movement is more than just talent. This could also have something to do with the shoes you’re wearing. If you ever cared to look beneath a dancer you will realise that most of the grace and energy comes from the correct footwear.

Visitors ride a chairoplane at a funfair in Hamburg, Germany, on Sunday. PHOTO: AP

Actress Deepika Padukone performs at the Sahara Indian Sports Awards in Mumbai on Mo-nday night. PHOTO: AFP