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Smitha Madhav, a very popular Carnatic vocalist and Bharatanatyam dancer will be on a tour of US cities giving performances of her twin pursuits of Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music. She will be accompanied with an extremely distinguished orchestra consisting Kumbakonam Atma Rao Gajendran, Nagai S Narayanan and Kanakam Chandra Rao. Smith said she feels privileged to be traveling and is grateful for the opportunity of assisting the noble cause espoused by the Vegesna Foundation.

Vamsee Rama Raju, managing trustee of Vegesna foundation will accompany Smitha Madhav and her troupe. Vamsee Rama Raju said that the foundation will utilize Smitha’s performances in various cities of US as an awareness campaign to tell NRIs about the foundation’s work and to reach out to Indians who are away from home; besides showcasing our rich culture and traditions.

Vamsee Rama Raju needs no introduction as he is well known to most of the NRIs in different countries and he is a good friend of NRIs here. He is always on the forefront to help the needy. Rama Raju is the managing trustee of Vegesna Foundation that started in 1988 with the help of NRI friends to serve the rural disabled children. During the last 14 years, it has created awareness among the parents for the rehabilitation of their children; has enabled many disabled children to stand and walk; and has created self-confidence and esteem in the disabled children. Rama Raju's center for the disabled aims to give them a new lease of life. "Vegesna foundation picks up the kids or adults from bus-stands, road centers and hamlets. It's painful to know that most of them are made professional beggars by their own parents", said Rama Raju. 

Rama Raju is also well known in cultural and literary circles as the architect of the Vamsee Art Theatres and Vamsee-Berkley awards. He is the founder of Vamsee Art Theaters International. It was established 32 years ago in Hyderabad and has honored several people and institutions.

Smitha Madhav’s work has been widely acknowledged, and she is the recipient of various prestigious awards. She started receiving awards since her childhood. Smitha played the lead role of Seeta in the feature film Ramayanam produced by M.S. Reddy and directed by Gunasekhar. Unique in that its entire cast comprised children between 10 and 12 years of age, the film went on to win the National award. As a performer, Smitha's concerts are equally well received by the connoisseur and the lay viewer. Smitha currently has, under her wing over thirty students of Bharatanatyam at the Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad center of the Sruthi Laya Kendra Natarajaalaya. Smitha regularly gives music and dance recitals at the December Festival in Chennai and has also performed for audiences at a number of other centers in India and abroad. Smitha has spent years being trained in Carnatic vocal music and Bharatanatyam by leading Gurus. She brings tremendous energy and dedication to promoting these arts. Smitha has acquired a repertoire that has spellbound diverse audiences in cities and towns all over India. She regularly performs in several prestigious dance festivals and cultural events.

More recently, Smitha played the female lead in Prithvi, a bi-lingual (Bengali and Telugu) art film directed by Sisir Sahana. Smitha has also anchored several episodes of the TV program 'Jayam Manade' produced and telecast by Gemini TV. In the fall of 2007, Smitha will be featured in the lead role in the mythological feature film ‘Jai Vengamamba’ to be directed by Anjani Kumar.

Smitha has found that her twin pursuits of Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music have complemented each other greatly. She seeks to excel as a dancer and as a singer by drawing on a variety of cultural influences and marrying them to the elaborate traditions.

Smitha Madhav with her live orchestra will visit Atlanta, GA, South Carolina, Saylorsburg, PA, Orlando, FL, Ft Lauderdale, FL, Denver, CO, San Jose, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Washington, DC, New Jersey, Philadelphia, PA, New York, NY. Chicago, IL, Temple, TX, Houston, TX, San Antonio, TX and Dallas, TX. Her first concert starts in Atlanta on September 23rd and concludes in Dallas, TX on November 6th.