Mrinalini Sarabhai was an eminent Indian classical dancer, instructor, and choreographer. Born in the year 1918, in Kerala, to a Tamil Brahmin family, Sarabhai received her first dance lessons in Dalcroze, Switzerland. It was her first training in western dance techniques. Later on, she enrolled at Shantiniketan, the environment in which she was enlightened about her true forte. She decided to pursue her calling, and following her heart, Mrinalini Sarabhai joined and completed a course at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, which went on to help her become an accomplished performer. After her return to India, her official training began in the South Indian classical dance forms of Kathakali and Bharatanatyam.
But Mrinalini Sarabhai was not only a brilliant performer, as a true-blue creative genius, she was also a prolific writer. She has written many stories, poetry, novels, and drama for children. However, her creativity didn’t just stop there; it found other expressions and passions. Through her vocation, she found out about her love and Indian traditional handloom and it led her to eventually become the chairperson of the Gujarat State Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation Limited. Her illustrative career has been recorded in her autobiography titled ‘Mrinalini Sarabhai: The Voice of The Heart.’
As the entire world celebrated the 104th birthday of this celebrated performer this year, there are several interesting facts about this brilliant lady that elucidate the life of this enigmatic Indian classical dancer and recipient of the Padma Bhushan awards.
Let’s take a look at them –
- Her family had several dignified personalities like her mother Ammu Swaminathan, who was both a social worker and a parliament member, and her father Subbarama Swaminathan, who was the designated principal at the law College of Madras, and was also a practising barrister at the Madras High Court and. Her elder brother, Govind Swaminathan also followed in his father’s shoes and became a barrister specializing in criminal and constitutional law. Even her elder sister Lakshmi Sehgal was a part of the Rani of Jhansi regiment in the Azad Hind Fauj in the post of commander in chief.
- Mrinalini Sarabhai’s flair for dancing was discovered at the tender age of 5 when she boldly proclaimed her desire to become a dancer which was an intrepid and unexpected decision and determination for a child of her age to demonstrate.
- Her dream of becoming a world-famous dancer materialised when she learned the first western technique of dance movements and the basic notions of rhythm, musical expression and structure in Switzerland.
- Mrinalini Sarabhai has rendered her contributions to Indian dance by choreographing more than 300 dance dramas.
- Mrinalini Sarabhai had received a medal and diploma from the French association Archives Internationales de la Danse and was the first Indian to do so.
- The entire life story of Mrinalini Sarabhai was adapted into a documentary film named ‘Mrinalini Sarabhai: The Artist and Her Art,’ which was released in the year 2012 under the production of The Public Service Broadcasting Trust.
- Mrinalini Sarabhai’s husband was Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the celebrated physicist, who is also known as the ‘Father of the Indian Space Program.’
- The achievements of Mrinalini Sarabhai were recognized by the Indian government through the conferring of the Padma Bhushan award in the year 1992 and the Padma Shri award in the year 1965.
- She is amongst the few celebrated artists who had gained the coaching of several legendary dancers at the same time. Not only did she take Bharatanatyam lessons from the legendary Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai but also Kathakali lessons from guru Thakazhi Kunchu Kurup. Besides that, she had also learned Mohiniyattam from Kalyani Kutty Amma. It would be an understatement to say that the resume of Mrinalini Sarabhai has been adorned with the teachings and associations with some of the renowned masters and doyens from the field of several Indian dance forms.
- Her debut as an Indian dancer, which is also known as Rangapravesha in Kannada, occurred under the banner of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat.
- What makes Mrinalini Sarabhai a distinguished personality in her field is her establishment of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, in Ahmedabad, which is an institute for training and education in music, drama, and different other forms and styles of Indian or Hindustani dance.
- Mrinalini Sarabhai was the founder of the Center for Non-Violence through performing arts which is an exhibition of skills in dance drama. It mainly portrayed the different kinds of conflicting issues within society through the dance forms.
- Mrinalini Sarabhai also founded a nature club called ‘Prakriti’ that primarily had children as members whom Sarabhai would inspire and impart with various ways to increase their proximity with nature.
- One of the favourite performers of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Mrinalini Sarabhai, penned a novel called ‘This Alone Is True,’ which depicted the resurrection of various Indian classical dances from the modern century.
- As a guru, she has passed on her skills and knowledge to more than 18000 pupils, who took lessons in her academy, particularly in Kathakali and Bharatanatyam.
- Her passion for creativity and life was reflected in her belief that all kinds of creative work were mystical experiences and journeys. All works of art, be it drama or dance, everything is rooted in the inspiration that cannot be invoked unless there are years of hard work and profound knowledge of the subject to back it up.
There is an interesting anecdote associated with Mrinalini Sarabhai’s life that amplifies her dedication to her art. Every student at Academy Darpana had to perform a ceremony called ‘Arangateyam,’ which had the semblance of an official initiation program for a dancer into the world of an artist. When Sarabhai got to know that it was becoming a financial burden for the students coming from modest backgrounds, she changed the entire concept and named it ‘Aradhana’ which is just a recognition of the skills and talents of her students devoid of any kind of extravaganza.