Rukmini Devi Arundale

Rukmini Devi Arundale

Born -1904

Died - 1986

Achievements - At a time when the Bharata Natyam was considered a low and vulgar dance in India, Rukmini Devi Arundale mastered this art form in order to popularize it during early 1920s. Later as a part of Annie Besant's Theosophical Movement, Rukmini Devi traveled all over the world as an ambassador of Indian culture. She was also nominated the Rajya Sabha member twice.



All through her life, Rukmini Devi Arundale pursued Indian classical dancing as passionately as she could in order to revive and reestablish India's several arts and crafts. Belonging from an educated elite upper caste Indian family, Rukmini Devi Arundale dedicated her entire life to popularize the Bharata Natyam, which was considered a low and vulgar art in India during the early twenties. She recognized the beauty and spiritual value of this art form and summoned the courage to learn it herself despite strong public protest.



Read on to know more about the impressive biography of Rukmini Devi Arundale, who went to later marry well-known British Theosophist Dr. George Arundale. This too was alienation from the traditional Indian customs and there was a huge public outcry over it. But she faced it all with a brave heart. The course of her life history took a major turn when Rukmini Devi Arundale was drawn towards the Theosophical Movement as a follower of social activist Dr Annie Besant.



As a member working for the Theosophical movement, Rukmini Devi traveled all over the world as an ambassador of Indian culture. She went on to set up the Besant Theosophical High School and the Besant Arundale Senior Secondary School to impart education based on traditional Indian values later on. In the year 1936, Rukmini Devi established the Kalakshetra as a cultural organization dedicated to the preservation of traditional values in Indian art.



Rukmini Devi was appointed a member of the upper house of the Indian Parliament i.e. the Rajya Sabha in April 1952. She was re-nominated for the same post in the year 1956. Another thing that interested Rukmini Devi Arundale was the welfare of animals and she used to work with a number of organizations for this purpose. Infact, as a Rajya Sabha member, Rukmini Devi was largely responsible for the legislation for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960).

Sonal Mansingh

Sonal Mansingh

An eminent Indian classical dancer, she is the maestro of Odissi dance form. She is also proficient in performing other dance forms such as Kuchipudi, Bharatnatyam and Chhau. Well, we are talking about the great Indian dancer Sonal Mansingh, who has made Indians proud. In this article, we will present you with the biography of Odissi dancer Sonal Mansingh, one of the most prominent dancers of India.

She was born in the year 1944 in Mumbai. Her dance performances are simply awe inspiring and have brought her lot of fame and fortune. Her works have always been highly praised. Infact, she has been honored with several awards as a mark of appreciation of her works. In the year 1992, she received the Padma Bhushan, which is the highest civilian award of India. To know the complete life history of Sonal Mansingh, read on.



Not only she has committed herself to the dancing field, but also made an incredible contribution in bringing a smile on the faces of millions of people. Sonal Mansingh is the first Indian dancer to have been honored with Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award in the year 2003. Due to her great thoughts and opinions, sometimes, she is also called a philosopher.



She is a multifaceted personality, who is called by different names, such as a dancer, philosopher, social reformer, thinker, choreographer and teacher. She has been performing on stage since 1964. She has taken formal training in Chaau dance, Bharatnatyam, and Indian music. In the year 1977, Sonal established the Centre for Indian Classical Dances (CICD) in Delhi.



Her best choreographic works include Mera Bharat, Devi Durga, Indradhanush, Sabras, Manavatta, Aatmayan, and Draupati. She has traveled all over the world and entertained people with her classic dance performances. She is of the opinion that, dance should speak the issues concerning the society and people at large. Some of her choreographic works have brought forth, issues related to women and environment. She has always participated enthusiastically in seminars organized to discuss social issues.



At an art festival, she came across her first husband Lalit Mansingh. His father Dr. Mayadhar Mansingh took his daughter-in-law to Odissi guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and she began her training in Odissi dance from the year 1965. Lalit had to shift to Geneva for professional reasons. In the meanwhile, she went to Delhi to continue with her dance training. As years passed by, the couple decided to go apart.



Sonal Mansingh took up dancing at the time, when it wasn't considered to be a very good thing. However, her parents always gave her liberty to pursue what she wants to achieve in her life. She was born in a very broad minded family. Her mother Poornima Pakvasa herself had a very artistic mind and her grandfather always advocated for the equality of women.



Her grandfather Mangaldas Pakvasa was a great freedom fighter. He was one among the few initial governors of India, so celebrated personalities used to frequently visit her home, even when she was young. He gave a boost to her artistic talent and encouraged her to pursue her dream of enriching the Indian culture with her dance.



Awards Won :


Padma Bhushan (1992)

Padma Vibhushan (2003)

Indira Priya Darshini Awards

Natya Kala Ratna from National Cultural Organization

Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award

Singar Mani award from Haridas Sangeet Sammelan

Shovana Narayan

Shovana Narayan

A maestro of Kathak dance, she is a well known name that appears on the top in the list of eminent classical dancers of India. Her wonderful performances have left the people awestruck. Her teacher is none other than the famous Birju Maharaj. Well, we are talking about the great Indian Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan. In this article, we will present you with the biography of Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan.

At a very young age of four, Shovana started learning Kathak from the renowned dancer cum actress of the past Sadhana Bose in Calcutta (now Kolkata). She completed her Masters degree in Physics from Miranda House in Delhi. She tied her wedding knots with Dr. Herbert von Traxi, Austrian Ambassador to India. Also known as the Kathak queen, she is so much involved in dancing that she cannot imagine her life without it. It is not just a hobby for her, but the motive of her life.



Shovana Narayan has given an entirely new dimension to dancing. She is an accomplished dancer, whose facial expressions complements her dance and makes her performance simply outstanding. Her choreographic works have not only been well acclaimed in India, but are also highly praised overseas. Read on to know the complete life history of Shovana Narayan.



She has worked in collaboration with a number of prominent national and international musicians as well as dancers. Her notable works include "Moonlight Impressionism" and "The Dawn After". She has worked in close association with dancers from Western classical ballet and American tap dancer. She has given various dance performances with dancers of other Indian classical dance forms. Her repertoire encompasses movies like Akbar's Bridge (Hindi) "Das Geheimnis des Indisches Tanz" (German) and operas such as "Ghalib ki Dilli" and 'Wicchare Pani'.



Awards Won :


Padma Shri

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award;

Delhi Government's Parishad Samman

Rajiv Gandhi Puraskar

Bihar Gaurav Puraskar

Indira Priyadarshini Samman

Oisca Award

Mallika Sarabhai

Mallika Sarabhai

She is a well known Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer of India. She is the daughter of renowned artists. Her mother is a great dancer and father is a famous scientist. Well, we are talking about the celebrated dancer Mallika Sarabhai. In this article, we will present you with the biography of Mallika Sarabhai.

The holder of MBA and doctorate degree from IIM Ahmedabad, she is a multitalented personality. She is truly an all rounder. She has proved her worth in all the streams, then be it editing, anchoring, film making, dancing, acting etc. Mallika started learning dance at a very young age. To know the complete life history of Mallika Sarabhai, read on…



She began her career, when she was only fifteen years old. She took up the acting assignment to play the role of Draupadi in Peter Brook's film "The Mahabharata". Apart from being a professional dancer, she is also a social activist. During the 2002 riots of Gujarat, she raised her voice and spoke against the role played by the Narendra Modi government. She is an epitome of boldness and courage.



She, along with her mother, administers the functioning of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, which is located at Ahmedabad. Her works have been well acclaimed. She has received many accolades throughout her career. In the year 1977, she was honored with the "French Palme D'or", which is the highest civilian award of the Government of France. Later in Paris, she received the 'Best Soloist Artist' for best dance performance.

Birju Maharaj

Birju Maharaj

Born: February 4, 1937

Achievement: Well-known exponent of Kathak; Recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy Award, Padma Vibhushan, Kalidas Samman, Soviet Land Nehru Award, SNA Award, Sangam Kala Award.



Pandit Birju Maharaj is a legendary Kathak dancer. He belongs an illustrious family of dance masters of the Lucknow gharana. His two uncles Shambu and Lacchu Maharaj, and his father Acchan Maharaj were all well-known Kathak dancers. Apart from Kathak, Pandit Birju Maharaj is also an accomplished vocalist.



Pandit Birju Maharaj alias Brij Mohan Nath Mishra was born on February 4, 1937. He took training in Kathak under the guidance of his father, Achchan Maharaj and uncles Lacchu Maharaj and Shambhu Maharaj. Birju Maharaj gave his first performance at the young age of seven at Lucknow and after that there was no looking back.



Birju Maharaj is a multi-faceted personality. Besides his mastery over Kathak, he is also a superb musician, percussionist, composer, teacher, director, choreographer and a poet. Birju Maharaj has composed many dance dramas like 'Gobardhan Leela', 'Makhan Chori', 'Malti-Madhav', 'Kumar Sambhav', and 'Phag Bahar'. Birju Maharaj has also dabbled in films. He composed two classical dance sequence for Satyajit Ray's film 'Shatranj Ke Khiladi' and choreographed a song for Sanjay Leela Bhansal's film 'Devdas'.



Birju Maharaj is a recipient of several honors and awards. These include: Sangeet Natak Academy Award, Padma Vibhushan, Kalidas Samman, Soviet Land Nehru Award, SNA Award, Sangam Kala Award etc. He was also conferred with two honorary doctorate degrees and the Nehru Fellowship.



Birju Maharaj taught at Sangeet Bharati, Bharatiya Kala Kendra and headed the teaching faculty Kathak Kendra in Delhi till his retirement in 1998.