Rasa Kootami presents ‘Sampradaya’ — where Telangana’s living traditions meet the modern ear

Hyderabad, July 12, 2026: In a world that scrolls faster every year, an art form that took centuries to perfect now has about three seconds to be seen. Rasa Kootami exists to change that. On Saturday, 11 July 2026, the Hyderabad-born cultural movement returns to Shilparamam with its third edition — Sampradaya — an evening built on a simple, radical belief: that our oldest traditions do not belong behind glass. They are meant to be experienced, felt, and handed forward.
Rasa Kootami — the flagship initiative of the Rasa Kootami Foundation — has, in a remarkably short span, grown into one of Telangana’s most distinctive art ecosystems. It is neither a festival nor an events company. It is a living platform where folk performers, classical dancers, martial practitioners, artisans and contemporary musicians share a single stage — and where audiences do not merely watch, but belong. Its guiding conviction is disarmingly direct: when artists thrive, cultures survive.
What sets Rasa Kootami apart is its refusal to choose between the ancient and the modern. Curated under the theme Sampradaya · Parampara · Bādhyata — tradition, lineage, and the responsibility to carry it forward — Sampradaya unfolds as six ‘movements’ that travel from Telangana’s most endangered folk crafts to a boundary-dissolving live fusion finale. The result is a quiet argument, made in music and movement: that heritage and contemporary taste can share the same heartbeat.
An evening of six movements
The programme travels through the wooden string-puppetry of Chekka Bommalata (Kanakayya & Team); the vivid folk opera of Yakshagaanam (Meenayya & Team); the Mudgar Warrior Flow of Team Saptamatre, led by Dr. Udaya Renugunta; a Bharatanatyam presentation by the Shivansh School of Arts that carries a surprise ‘Deccan annotation’; the ancient martial art of Kalaripayattu by NC Kalari, led by Dr. Bogiri Shiva Garu; and a genre-bending Live Fusion Finale, where voice, live percussion and electronic sound converge — featuring Deepesh, Lakshman, Ananya and Ujwal. Running alongside, a Courtyard Arena of craft stalls, art installations and live-art demonstrations places working artisans directly beside the audiences who sustain them.
“We are not trying to museum-ify our traditions — we are trying to make them irresistible again. Sampradaya is about lineage, and about responsibility. Every artist on our stage is a link in a chain that reaches back centuries; our job is to make sure that chain reaches the next generation — in their language, and without losing its soul.” — Sunil Sathyavolu, Co-founder, Rasa Kootami

The evening was graced by Guest of Honour Padma Shri Dr. Deepika Reddy — one of India’s most celebrated Kuchipudi exponents and the first woman Chairperson of the Telangana Sangeet Natak Akademi — alongside other distinguished guests, including Dr. Deepthi Devarakonda.
Sampradaya is presented in association with Telangana Tourism, and is supported by Radiant Avenues, The Golden Hump and Singidi Collective.