Mrinalini Sarabhai
Encyclopedia
Mrinalini Sarabhai (born 1918) is a celebrated India
n classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. She is the founder director of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts
, an institute for imparting training in dance, drama, music and puppetry, in the city of Ahmedabad
. She has received many distinguished awards and citations in recognitions of her contribution to art. She has trained over 18,000 students in Bharatnatyam and Kathakali
.
family called Vadakkath near Aanakkara close to Pattambi
in present-day Palakkad
district of central Kerala. She spent her childhood in Switzerland, where, she received her first lessons in Dalcroz, a Western technique of dance movements. She was educated at Santiniketan
under the guidance of Rabindranath Tagore
where she realised her true calling. She then went for a short time to the United States
where she enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. On returning to India, she began her training in the south Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam
under Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai and the classical dance-drama of Kathakali
under the legendary Guru Thakazhi Kunchu Kurup.
Vikram Sarabhai
who is considered to be the Father of the Indian Space Program. She has a son, Karthikeya and a daughter Mallika
who too went on to attain fame in dance and theatre. Mrinalini founded Darpana in Ahmedabad in 1948. A year later, she performed at the Théâtre national de Chaillot
in Paris
where she received a lot of critical acclaim.
Vikram Sarabhai allowed considerable freedom to Mrinalini to develop her own potential. They had a troubled marriage relationship. According to biographer Amrita Shah, Vikram Sarabhai had void in his personal life he sought to fill it by dedicating himself to applying science for social good.
was a remarkable woman of her times, and a great freedom fighter. Her elder sister Capt. Dr. Lakshmi Sehgal was the commander-in-chief of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's 'Rani of Jhansi Regiment' of the Indian National Army Azad Hind Fauz. Her elder brother, Mr. Govind Swaminathan, was a famous barrister who practiced in Madras as a specialist in constitutional and criminal law apart from civil law and company law; he served as the attorney general for the State of Madras (Tamil Nadu) with great distinction.
with the national civilian awards Padma Vibhushan
, Padma Bhushan
in 1992 and the Padma Shri
in 1965. She was honoured with the Degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa (LittD) by the University of East Anglia
, Norwich
, UK in 1997. She was also the first Indian to receive the medal and Diploma of the French Archives Internationales de la Danse. She was nominated to the Executive Committee of the International Dance Council
, Paris
in 1990 and awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
, New Delhi
in 1994. She was presented with a gold medal by the Mexican Government for her choreography for the Ballet Folklorico of Mexico.
The Darpana Academy of Performing Arts
celebrated its golden jubilee on December 28, 1998, with the announcement of the annual "Mrinalini Sarabhai Award for Classical Excellence", in the field of classical dance.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. She is the founder director of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts
Darpana Academy of Performing Arts
Darpana Academy of Performing Arts is a school for performing arts in Ahmedabad Gujarat, established by Mrinalini Sarabhai and Vikram Sarabhai in 1949, it has been directed by their daughter Mallika Sarabhai for the last three decades. The school organises a three-day Interart, the "Vikram...
, an institute for imparting training in dance, drama, music and puppetry, in the city of Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
. She has received many distinguished awards and citations in recognitions of her contribution to art. She has trained over 18,000 students in Bharatnatyam and Kathakali
Kathakali
Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...
.
Early life and Education
Mrinalini was born to Dr. Swaminathan, a Palghat Iyer, and Ammu Swaminathan who belonged to a famous NairNair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
family called Vadakkath near Aanakkara close to Pattambi
Pattambi
Pattambi is one of the major town in the Palakkad district of the state of Kerala, South India. The place got its name from Batta Nambi. Once under Nedunganad Samanthas of Chera Kings. Later on Zamoothiri Raja annexed this place to his country and kept under the control of Eralpad Raja, the second...
in present-day Palakkad
Palakkad
Palakkad , formerly known as Palghat, is a municipality and a town in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2.The city is situated about north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District...
district of central Kerala. She spent her childhood in Switzerland, where, she received her first lessons in Dalcroz, a Western technique of dance movements. She was educated at Santiniketan
Santiniketan
Santiniketan is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata . It was made famous by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose vision became what is now a university town that attracts thousands of visitors each year...
under the guidance of Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
where she realised her true calling. She then went for a short time to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where she enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. On returning to India, she began her training in the south Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam
Bharata Natyam or Chadhir Attam, is a classical dance form from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, practiced predominantly in modern times by women. The dance is usually accompanied by classical Carnatic music...
under Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai and the classical dance-drama of Kathakali
Kathakali
Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...
under the legendary Guru Thakazhi Kunchu Kurup.
Marriage and the following years
Mrinalini got married in 1942 to the Indian physicistPhysicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
Vikram Sarabhai
Vikram Sarabhai
Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai was an Indian physicist. He is considered to be the father of the Indian space program; legendary Homi Bhabha’s successor as chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission; and was as at home in the world of the arts as in his favourite laboratory. His interests were vast and...
who is considered to be the Father of the Indian Space Program. She has a son, Karthikeya and a daughter Mallika
Mallika Sarabhai
Mallika Sarabhai is an activist and Indian Classical Dancer from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Daughter of Classical Dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai and renowned Space Scientist Vikram Sarabhai, Mallika is an accomplished Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer.-Early life:Mallika Sarabhai was born in...
who too went on to attain fame in dance and theatre. Mrinalini founded Darpana in Ahmedabad in 1948. A year later, she performed at the Théâtre national de Chaillot
Théâtre national de Chaillot
The Théâtre national de Chaillot is a theatre located in the Palais de Chaillot at 1, place du Trocadero, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. Close by the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadéro Gardens—the Théâtre de Chaillot is among the largest concert halls in Paris. It has long been synonymous with...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where she received a lot of critical acclaim.
Vikram Sarabhai allowed considerable freedom to Mrinalini to develop her own potential. They had a troubled marriage relationship. According to biographer Amrita Shah, Vikram Sarabhai had void in his personal life he sought to fill it by dedicating himself to applying science for social good.
Other areas of contribution
Besides choreographing more than three hundred dance dramas. She has also written many novels, poetry, plays and stories for children. She was chairperson of the Gujarat State Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation Ltd. She is also one of the trustees of the Sarvodaya International Trust, an organization for promotion of Gandhian ideals, and is also the chairperson of the Nehru Foundation for Development (NFD). Her autobiography is titled Mrinalini Sarabhai: The Voice of the Heart.Family
Her father, Dr. Swaminathanan was a renowned barrister at the Madras High Court and principal of the Madras Law College. Her mother Ammu SwaminathanAmmu Swaminathan
Ammu Swaminathan was an Indian social worker and a prominent political activist during the Indian independence movement. After independence, she served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India and later, as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Madras State...
was a remarkable woman of her times, and a great freedom fighter. Her elder sister Capt. Dr. Lakshmi Sehgal was the commander-in-chief of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's 'Rani of Jhansi Regiment' of the Indian National Army Azad Hind Fauz. Her elder brother, Mr. Govind Swaminathan, was a famous barrister who practiced in Madras as a specialist in constitutional and criminal law apart from civil law and company law; he served as the attorney general for the State of Madras (Tamil Nadu) with great distinction.
Awards
Mrinalini Sarabhai has been awarded by the Indian governmentGovernment of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
with the national civilian awards Padma Vibhushan
Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan...
, Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
in 1992 and the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
in 1965. She was honoured with the Degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa (LittD) by the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
, Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, UK in 1997. She was also the first Indian to receive the medal and Diploma of the French Archives Internationales de la Danse. She was nominated to the Executive Committee of the International Dance Council
International Dance Council
The International Dance Council is an umbrella organization for all forms of dance in the world. It is a non-profit international non-governmental organization founded in 1973 within the UNESCO headquarters. Its headquarters are in Paris...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1990 and awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, also, Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna Sadasya is an honour for the performing arts in India...
, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
in 1994. She was presented with a gold medal by the Mexican Government for her choreography for the Ballet Folklorico of Mexico.
The Darpana Academy of Performing Arts
Darpana Academy of Performing Arts
Darpana Academy of Performing Arts is a school for performing arts in Ahmedabad Gujarat, established by Mrinalini Sarabhai and Vikram Sarabhai in 1949, it has been directed by their daughter Mallika Sarabhai for the last three decades. The school organises a three-day Interart, the "Vikram...
celebrated its golden jubilee on December 28, 1998, with the announcement of the annual "Mrinalini Sarabhai Award for Classical Excellence", in the field of classical dance.
See also
- Mallika SarabhaiMallika SarabhaiMallika Sarabhai is an activist and Indian Classical Dancer from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Daughter of Classical Dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai and renowned Space Scientist Vikram Sarabhai, Mallika is an accomplished Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer.-Early life:Mallika Sarabhai was born in...
- Vikram SarabhaiVikram SarabhaiVikram Ambalal Sarabhai was an Indian physicist. He is considered to be the father of the Indian space program; legendary Homi Bhabha’s successor as chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission; and was as at home in the world of the arts as in his favourite laboratory. His interests were vast and...
- List of citizens of Ahmedabad awarded with national civilian honours
- Indian women in dance