Sunayana Hazarilal Agarwal

🪔 About

Sunayana Hazarilal Agarwal is a distinguished Indian classical dancer, celebrated for her profound expertise in Kathak, particularly as the torchbearer and reportedly the sole surviving practitioner of the Janakiprasad Gharana, also known as the Banares Gharana. Born on July 28, 1938, in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, she spent much of her childhood in Varanasi. Despite initial family opposition, she began secret dance lessons at age seven. She later moved to Mumbai, where she chose to pursue classical dance over further academic studies, joining Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. In 1960, Hazarilal commenced intensive training in Kathak under the tutelage of Pandit Hazarilal, a renowned exponent of the Janakiprasad Gharana, completing a rigorous seven-year apprenticeship. Following her husband's passing, she became the primary preserver of this rare and unique Kathak tradition. Sunayana Hazarilal serves as the Honorary Director of Natawari School of Kathak, an NGO founded in 1969 to preserve and advance the Jankiprasad Kathak style. She also heads the Kathak section at Sangeet and Nartan Shiksha Peeth, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai. Her contributions extend to conducting global workshops in the US, UK, and Europe, and she was a visiting faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1990. She is recognized for her technical virtuosity, innovative repertoire, and intense abhinaya, and has also conducted research on the genealogy of the Janakiprasad Gharana, publishing numerous articles on the subject. Awards & Honours: Padma Shri (2011), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2003), Maharashtra Gaurav Award (2004), Lifetime Achievement Award (2015), Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, Nritya Sharda, Sringar Mani, Abhinaya Kala Saraswati, Rashtriya Kalidas Samman.