Mallika Sarabhai

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Mallika Sarabhai
Born May 9, 1954 (1954-05-09) (age 55)
Gujarat, India
Occupation Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer
Years active 1969 - present
Official website

Mallika Sarabhai (born 9 May 1954) is a well-known activist and performer from Gujarat in India. The daughter of classical danseuse Mrinalini Sarabhai and renowned space scientist Vikram Sarabhai, Mallika is an accomplished Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer. She is also known for her contributions in the fields of theatre, television, film, writing and publishing.[1]. She is also a TED fellow.[2]

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[edit] Early life and background

Mallika Sarabhai was born in Gujarat, India to Vikram Sarabhai and Mrinalini Sarabhai in 1953.

She studied at St Xaviers College in her home town of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state.[3].

The multi-faceted Mallika holds an MBA (1974) from the prestigious IIM Ahmedabad and a doctorate (in the area of Organisational Behaviour) from the Gujarat University[4] (1976), and has experience in acting, film-making, editing, and television anchoring.

[edit] Career

She started to learn dancing when she was young, and started her film career in parallel cinema, when she was 15. Mallika played the role of Draupadi in the Peter Brook's play The Mahabharata.

Mallika has won many accolades during her long career, the - Golden Star Award being one of them, which she won for the Best Dance Soloist, Theatre De Champs Elysees, Paris 1977.

As well as a dancer, Sarabhai is a social activist. She, along with her mother, manages the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts located at Ahmedabad.[5] She made headlines when she complained that the Narendra Modi government of Gujarat was harassing her due to her public criticism of their role during the 2002 riots; the government in late 2002 had accused her of human trafficking.[6] The Gujarati government dropped the case in December 2004.

[edit] Theatre for awareness

In 1989 she performed hard-hitting solo theatrical works, Shakti: The Power of Women. After it she direct ands acted in numerous productions based on current issues and which raised awareness for social change.

Mallika Sarabhai also wrote the script of the play Unsuni based on Harsh Mander's book Unheard Voices. Arvind Gaur translated it in Hindi and Mallika Sarabhai direct Unsuni for Darpana Academy.Unsuni travels all over India. Darpana, the arts institution of Ahmedabad, has launched the people awareness movement through its production Unsuni [7].Recently She acted in Bertolt Brecht's indian adaptation of The Good Person of Szechwan directed by Arvind Gaur[8]

[edit] Personal life

"I have always done things without hiding them," says Mallika, remembering her college days, which saw her wearing mini-skirts, dating men, even going in for a live-in relationship.[9]. She recalls her mother’s horror when she first started living with somebody, “I explained to her why it was important for me to find out if I wanted a permanent commitment or not."

Mallika met Bipin Shah during her college days, and eventually married him. They got a divorce seven year later, though they still run Mapin Publishing together. They have two children, a son, Revanta and a daughter[10]. They co-founded Mapin Publishing in 1984 and still collaborate.

Her daughter, Anahita, who is Mallika's sole dependent, is now studying at Sarah Lawrence College (class of 2013), in the United States[11].

Both Revanta(born 1984) [12]) and Anahita (born 1990) are upcoming classical dancers.

[edit] Political career

Election voting symbol

On 19 March 2009, Mallika Sarabhai announced her candidature against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani for the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, as an independent candidate. A Congress spokesperson made it clear that she was not the Congress's candidate, nevertheless there was speculation that the Congress high command had asked the Gujarat state unit to support her candidature.[13] In a reply to a question, she said she had neither personally approached the Congress nor did it offer to make her its candidate for the 2009 election, however in the past she had received many offer from the Congress to contest election, the first being in 1984 from Rajiv Gandhi.[13],[14] She described her candidature as a Satyagraha against the politics of hatred.[14]

She eventually lost to L K Advani by a huge margin and forfeited her election deposit in the process.[15]

[edit] Awards and honours

  • Crystal Award by World Economic Forum, 2008 for recognition of her contribution in art and culture to promote global peace.[16]
  • Theatre Pasta Theatre Awards,2007
  • Nominated as one among 1000 women for Nobel Peace Prize ,2005 [17]
  • Indian for Collective Actions Honour Award,, 2004 [18]
  • Kala Shiromani Purskar , Institute of Economic Studies,2004 [18]
  • Woman of the Year , Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC),2003 [18]
  • Knight of the Order of Arts & Letters, French Government 2002
  • Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Creative Dance, 2000[18][19]
  • Chevalier des Palmes Academiques, French Government, 1999 [18]
  • Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress, Sheesha ,1984 [18]
  • Best Film Actress Award, Mena Gurjari,Govt.of Gujarat,1975 [18]
  • Film Critics Award for Best Actress, Muthi Bhar Chawal 1974 [18]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ About India’s leading choreographer and dancer Mallika Sarabhai
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ dancers indobase
  4. ^ http://mallikasarabhai.in/about-mallika-sarabhai-for-lok-sabha/mallika-sarabhai
  5. ^ the darpana academy of performing arts | usmanpura, ahmedabad - 380013, india
  6. ^ The Hindu : Why am I being crucified, asks Mallika Sarabhai
  7. ^ Unsuni Movement
  8. ^ "34th Vikram Sarabhai International Art Festival". The Times of India. 2009-12-24. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Sarabhai-art-fest-from-Monday/articleshow/5371371.cms. Retrieved 2009-12-31. 
  9. ^ http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090329/jsp/7days/story_10740051.jsp ‘The fact that I am standing, Mr. Advani, means the world is watching’
  10. ^ Mallika on a mission, Aditi Tandon, http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071013/saturday/main1.htm
  11. ^ http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/i-have-no-vehicle-nor-any-bank-deposits/442462
  12. ^ Dance works, Chitra Subramanyam, 6 March 2008 http://indiatoday.intoday.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&issueid=44&id=5428&Itemid=&sectionid=&completeview=1
  13. ^ a b Mallika Sarabhai and L. K. Advani in Gandhinagar
  14. ^ a b Mallika to contest against LK from Gandhinagar
  15. ^ Modi magic fails to work
  16. ^ "Amitabh Bachchan, Mallika Sarabhai to receive WEF Crystal Award" (in en). The Hindu. 2009-01-25. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200901251352.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-26. 
  17. ^ (in en) 1000 Peacewomen Across the Globe. Scalo. 2006-03-30. pp. 1073. ISBN 3039390392. 
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h "Malika Sarabhai" (in en). Indo-American Arts Council Inc. 2007-02-27. http://www.iaac.us/Bios/mallika_sarabhai.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-26. 
  19. ^ Creative Dance - Mallika Sarabhai 1999-2000 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Official listings.

[edit] External links

[edit] Further reading

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