Guru Anjali Meher

🪔 About

Anjali Mehr (née Hora; 1928-1978) was a pioneering Indian classical dancer, choreographer, and educator, primarily in Bharatanatyam, with initial training in Kathak. Born in 1928 to Rameshbhai and Mugdhaben Hora, she began learning Kathak at the age of four. She later transitioned to Bharatanatyam, becoming one of the earliest disciples of the legendary Rukmini Devi Arundale at Kalakshetra, Madras (now Chennai). There, she received training from esteemed gurus including Meenakshisundaram Pillai, Chokkalingam Pillai, Sharadambai Devadasi, and Dandayudhapani Pillai. Mehr played a vital role in strengthening dance education in post-Independence India. In 1947, she was invited by Kulapati Dr. K. M. Munshi to teach dance at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Bombay (now Mumbai), where she became the first Principal of its Sangeet Nartan Shikshapeeth. She also established her own school, "Rukmini Kala Vihar," named after her guru. After her marriage to Dr. Sukumar Merh in 1953, she settled in Baroda (now Vadodara), Gujarat. She joined the M.S. University as a Visiting Professor and later succeeded Mohan Khokar as the Head of the Department of Performing Arts, where she significantly contributed to dance pedagogy. Known as "Anjaliben," she was celebrated for her bold experiments and innovations in Bharatanatyam, particularly for establishing a "Gujarati school of Bharatanatyam." She developed an accessible "Stick Drawing Notation System" in the mid-1960s for non-Tamil speaking students. Her notable works include writing a Bharatanatyam margam in Gujarati in 1972 and, in 1977, composing and choreographing the Chandramoulishwara Kuravanji, considered the first Kuravanji written in Gujarati. She was also well-versed in Hindustani and Carnatic music and sang for All India Radio (AIR). Anjali Mehr passed away in 1978, reportedly onstage after a performance.