Kumudini Lakhia (born 17 May 1930) is an Indian

Kathak Kathak ( hi, कथक; ur, کتھک) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance from of Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern Ind ...

dancer and choreographer based in

Ahmedabad, Gujarat Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per th ...

, where she founded Kadamb School of Dance and Music, an institute of Indian dance and music in 1967. A pioneer in contemporary Kathak dance, she is credited for moving away from the solo form of

starting in the 1960s, by turning it into a group spectacle, and also innovations like taking away traditional stories and adding contemporary storylines into Kathak repertoire.

Early life and education

Lakhia started her Kathak training with Sohanlal from the Bikaner Gharana at age seven. This was followed by Ashiq Hussain of Benaras Gharana and Sunder Prasad of the Jaipur school. Encouraged by her mother, Leela, herself a classical singer, she was sent to further her training under the tutelage of Radheylal Misra, himself a disciple of Jai Lal. As a result, she completed her schooling in Lahore and college in Allahabad.

Career

She startred her career dancing with Ram Gopal as he toured the West, bringing Indian dance to the eyes of people abroad for the first time, and then became a dancer and choreographer in her own right. She learned first from various gurus of Jaipur ''

gharana In Hindustani music (North Indian classical music), a ''gharānā'' is a system of social organisation in the Indian subcontinent, linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and more importantly by adherence to a particular mus ...

'', and then from

Shambhu Maharaj Pandit Shambhu Maharaj (1910 – 4 November 1970) was a Guru of the Lucknow ''Gharana'' (school) of the Indian classical dance form, Kathak. Early life and training Shambhu Maharaj was born in Lucknow as Shambhunath Mishra. He was the youngest ...

. She is particularly known for her multi-person choreographies. Some of her most famous choreographies include ''Dhabkar'' (Pulse), ''Yugal'' (The Duet), and ''Atah Kim'' (Where Now?), which she performed at the annual Kathak Mahotsav in Delhi in 1980. She was also a choreographer in the

Hindi film Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

, '' Umrao Jaan'' (1981), along with Gopi Krishna. She is a guru to many disciples, including

dancers

Aditi Mangaldas Aditi Mangaldas (born 1960) is a Kathak dancer and choreographer, who is known for her works with the traditional and contemporary repertoire of Kathak. Hailed as one of the leading dancers in both the classical and contemporary idiom, Mangaldas ...

, Vaishali Trivedi, Sandhya Desai, Daksha Sheth, Maulik Shah, Ishira Parikh, Prashant Shah, Urja Thakore and Parul Shah amongst others .

Personal life

She married Rajnikant Lakhia, who was studying law at the Lincolns Inn and was a violinist with the Ram Gopal company and moved to Ahmedabad in 1960. She has a son Shriraj and a daughter Maitreyi. She was the Cornell Visiting Professor at Swarthmore College for the 2012–2013 academic year.

Choreographies

*"Variation in Thumri" (1969) *"Venu Nad" (1970) *"Bhajan" (1985) *"Hori" (1970) *"Kolaahal" (1971) *"Duvidha" (1971) *"Dhabkar" (1973) *"Yugal" (1976) *"Umrao Jaan" (1981) *"Atah Kim" (1982) *"Okha Haran" (1990) *"Hun-Nari" (1993) *"Golden Chains" (for Neena Gupt, London) *"Sam Samvedan" (1993) *"Samanvay" (2003) *"Bhav Krida" (1999) *"Feathered Cloth – Hagoromo" (2006) *"Mushti" (2005)

Awards and honors

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

in 1987 *

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

in 2010 *

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. History It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and be ...

in 1982 *

Kalidas Samman The Kalidas Samman ( hi, कालिदास सम्मान) is an arts award presented annually by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in India. The award is named after Kālidāsa, a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer of ancient India. The ...

for the year 2002-03 *

Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna and Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Puraskar were given at special events organised by Sangeet Natak Akademi in *Kolkata – Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Samman on 25 April 2012 *Chennai – Sangeet Natak Akademi ...

in 2011 *Guru Gopinath Desiya Natya Puraskaram (2021) by

Government of Kerala Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...

References

External links

Kadamb website
nartaki.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lakhia, Kumudini Kathak exponents Performers of Indian classical dance Indian classical choreographers 1930 births Living people Artists from Ahmedabad Teachers of Indian classical dance Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Indian women choreographers Indian choreographers Women educators from Gujarat Educators from Gujarat Indian dance teachers Indian female classical dancers 20th-century Indian dancers Dancers from Gujarat 20th-century Indian educators 20th-century Indian women artists Women musicians from Gujarat 20th-century women educators