Mrinalini Vikram Sarabhai

🪔 About

Mrinalini Sarabhai (born May 11, 1918, in Kerala, British India; died January 21, 2016, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India) was a pioneering Indian classical dancer, choreographer, and instructor. Born into a distinguished family, her father, Subbarama Swaminathan, was a renowned lawyer, and her mother, Ammu Swaminathan, was a social worker and freedom fighter. Her early education included a period in Switzerland where she received her first lessons in the Dalcroze school, a Western technique of dance movements. She later studied at Santiniketan under Rabindranath Tagore, which deepened her passion for Indian classical dance. She also briefly enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in the United States. Upon returning to India, Sarabhai dedicated herself to mastering various Indian classical dance forms. She received training in Bharatanatyam from Meenakshisundaram Pillai, Kathakali from Guru Thakazhi Kunchu Kurup, and Mohiniattam from Kalyanikutty Amma. She also studied Kuchipudi with C.R. Acharyulu and Manipuri with Amobi Singh. In 1942, she married the renowned physicist Vikram Sarabhai. In 1948, Mrinalini Sarabhai founded the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in Ahmedabad, an institute for imparting training in dance, drama, music, and puppetry. She choreographed over 300 dance dramas, blending classical traditions with contemporary themes and often addressing social issues like women's empowerment and environmental conservation. Known affectionately as "Amma," she trained over 18,000 students in Bharatanatyam and Kathakali. Her daughter, Mallika Sarabhai, also became a celebrated dancer and continued her legacy. Awards & Honours: Padma Shri (1965), Padma Bhushan (1992), Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1994), Doctor of Letters (LittD) honoris causa (1997), Medal and Diploma of the French Archives Internationales de la Danse, Kalidas Samman (1996), Nishagandhi Puraskaram (2013), Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship (1988), Gold medal for choreography for Ballet Folklorico of Mexico (1968), Pandit Omkarnath Thakur Award (1991), Natya Kala Sikhamani (1960), Scroll of Honour (1995), Padma Vibhushan (2013).