Syed Sallauddin Pasha is a Bharatanatyam and Kathak

dancer Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...

Choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

, Actor and Founder, artistic director of Ability Unlimited, and a therapeutic

dance theater Concert dance (also known as performance dance or theatre dance in the United Kingdom) is dance performed for an audience. It is frequently performed in a theatre setting, though this is not a requirement, and it is usually choreographed and p ...

on Wheelchairs in India. He is recognised for his pioneering theater productions for persons with special needs. In 2007 he received the National Award for the welfare of persons with disabilities in 2007-08 from Pratibha Patil. Pasha is a Limca Book of Records holder for creating 100 dance theater productions and directing over 10,000 performances with people of different - abilities. His student Gulshan Kumar entered in the

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for spinning his wheelchair 63 times in one minute in 2011. Pasha is a trained and established Bharatanatyam Dancer. He is also an empanelled Bharatnatyam, Kathak and theater artist with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and an 'A Grade' Dancer of

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...

, India's National Television Channel. Pasha's group has staged more than 10,000 shows worldwide with disabled dancers, including on

International Yoga Day The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated across the world annually on June 21 since 2015, following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice which originated in ...

in June, 2015.

Life and career

Syed Sallauddin Pasha, born in 1968, hails from a family of healers from Anekal, Karnataka, India. As a child, he enacted lead roles in Kannada and Sanskrit plays and Studied Carnatic music from TS Ramamani. He studied Bharatanatyam under late K. P. Kittappa Pillai,

S. Narmada S. Narmada (22 September 1942 – 30 March 2007) popularly known as Guru Narmada was a Bharatanatyam exponent and teacher from Karnataka, India. She received several awards including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Acad ...

and Padmini Rao and Kathak under late

Maya Rao Maya Rao (2 May 1928 – 1 September 2014) was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and educator, in Kathak dance. She is known for her pioneering work in Kathak choreography, especially in dance ballets, and is credited for bringing Kath ...

. He graduated as a Choreographer from Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography,

Bangalore University Bangalore University (BU) is a public state university located in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The university is a part of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and affiliated by Univers ...

and Pasha studied Pharmacy and registered as pharmacist from Karnataka State Pharmacy Council. He has worked with Theater and Film personalities of the country like B.V. Karanth,

M.S. Sathyu Mysore Shrinivas Sathyu ( kn, ಮೈಸೂರು ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ಸತ್ಯು) (born 6 July 1930) is a leading film director, stage designer and art director from India. He is best known for his directorial ''Garm Hava'' (1973), w ...

of Garm Hava fame and

Renuka Sharma Renuka Sharma (1939 – 5 May 2021) was a director who worked in Kannada cinema. He was known for his mythological and historical films. He debuted as director with the film '' Anupama'' starring Anant Nag and Madhavi. Death He died from COVI ...

, actors Vishnuvardhan and Ramesh Aravind. He also runs a non profit organization by the name of Ability Unlimited, dedicated for persons with

disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

Performances and reviews

Pasha has promoted dance and movement therapy for people with special needs. He directed Europe's biggest therapeutic theater project Ramayana on Wheels with 108 Finnish special children and adults, in collaboration with Espoo, which was performed at International Theater Festival. He has also conducted therapeutic workshops for tsunami victims. He has also orchestrated Durga and Martial Arts on Wheels with 200 disabled children and adults. His dance productions include Bharatanatyam on wheelchairs, Sufi dance on wheelchairs, Yoga on wheelchairs, Bhagawad Gita on wheelchairs, Ramayana On wheels, Rumi On Wheels, Chariots of the Gods, wheelchair on wings. Pasha has presented his dance performances at

Rastrapati Bhavan The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, rāsh-truh-puh-ti bha-vun; ; originally Viceroy's House and later Government House) is the official residence of the President of India at the western end of Rajpath, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India. Rashtrapati Bh ...

for the President of India Pranab Mukherjee. His Miracle On Wheels show for the United Nation Information Centre and Indian Council for UN Relations on 2 May 2015 at FICCI auditorium, New Delhi on the anniversary of

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Parties to the convention are required to promote, ...

. Pasha presented his Miracle on wheel performance for Taj Mahotsav in February, 2015. He has also presented Kathak Dance Performance in conjunction with the exhibition of "Islamic Art of India" on the occasion of the exhibition launching in March, 2002 at the

Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia ( ms, Muzium Kesenian Islam Malaysia) is a museum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was officially opened on 12 December 1998. The museum is the largest museum of Islamic arts in South East Asia with more than seven ...

, officiated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia,

Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad ( ms, محاضير بن محمد, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author, and physician who served as the 4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the office ...

and for the special performance graced by His Majesty Sirajuddin of Perlis, King of Malaysia.

Work in film and television

Pasha choreographed Chande Pe Dance song for a special episode on the Persons with disabilities in the first season of Aamir Khan's TV series

Satyamev Jayate Satyameva Jayate (, ) is a part of a ''mantra'' from the Hindu scripture '' Mundaka Upanishad''. Following the independence of India, it was adopted as the national motto of India on 26 January 1950, the day India became a republic. It is inscr ...

. He has acted as Saint

Shishunala Sharif Muhammad Sharif was an Indian social reformer, philosopher and poet. Birth and early life Santa Shishunala Sharifa was born on 7 March 1819 in Shishuvinahala, a village in Shigganvi (now Shiggaon) taluk (in Haveri district), Karnataka. He ...

in Kannada tele-serial, Eshwaran Alla Nine Yalla directed by Renuka Sharama. He acted in the Kannada Film Parva with late Kannada superstar Dr.Vishnuvardhan. He danced for

's doordarshan serial Kayar in 1992. This serial was based on the novel Kayar originally written in Malayalam by Jnanpith awardee Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai in 1978. "The novel traces the evolution of the central Travancore society from the early 19th century to the mid-twentieth century. In his masterpiece Kayar (1978) Thakazhi Sivashankara Pillai tells a story spanning more than 200 years, of the rise and fall of different communities in his birth place Kuttanad. While being the history of a region, Kayar captures the essence of the revolutionary shifts in Kerala history, with reference to the changing pattern of land holding."

Awards and recognition

* 1994 Proclamation from City o
Marion IndianaUSA
for presenting First Classical Dances of Indi

Day * 1995 1998 Member o
Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy
Nominated b
Government of Karnataka
India. * 2001 Award fro
Governor of Karnataka
V. S. Ramadevi, V.S.Rama Devi for his outstanding contribution and service for th
persons with disabilities
* 2002 Certificate of Appreciation fro
Islamic Art Museum Malaysia
launched b
Prime Minister of Malaysia
Dato’ Seri Dr Mahathir bin Mohammed and Graced by His Majesty, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Ibni-Al Marhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, King of Malaysia and his Queen. * 2003 Recognition from Espoo (ESBO) city cultural services for creating Ramayana for more 100 special need children from Finland. * 2005 Certificate of Appreciation fro
Action Aid International
for conducting Therapeutic Theatre Play/Workshop for Tsunami affected people at Andaman and Nicobar Islands * 2006 Certificate of Recognition fro
Town of HempsteadNew YorkUSA
* 2007 National Award for the welfare of persons with disabilities by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. * 2008

Sanskriti Foundation Sanskriti Museums are a set of three museums namely, Museum of ‘Everyday Art’, Museum of Indian Terracotta ( tribal art) and Textile Museum. It is housed within Sanskriti Kendra complex, at Anandagram, an artist village complex, spread over ...

Award for Social cultural achievement * 2010 Karmaveer Puraskaar Noble Laureate * 2012 Attendance award, given by India's only year-book on dance, under category Uday Shankar Choreography award, which recognizes a Choreographer who has set the tone for new directions in Indian dance. * 2015 He was chosen for the Alva's Nudisiri Award of social services,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pasha, Syed Sallauddin Indian male dancers Kathak exponents Indian dance teachers Performers of Indian classical dance Indian classical choreographers 1968 births Living people People from Bangalore Urban district Dancers from Karnataka Indian choreographers