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Mallika Sarabhai

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Mallika Sarabhai
Personal details
Born (1954-05-09) 9 May 1954 (age 70)
Gujarat, India
Political partyNone (Independent)
ChildrenRevant and Anahita
As of 10 April, 2009
Source: Mallika Sarabhai's campaign website
File:DJUN.jpg
Election voting symbol
Mallika Sarabhai
Occupation(s)Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer
Years active1969 - present
Height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
ChildrenRevanta and Anahita
AwardsTheatre Pasta Theatre Awards,2007

Nominated as one among 1000 women for Nobel Peace Prize ,2005 Knight of the Order of Arts & Letters, French Government 2002 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Creative Dance, 2001 Chevalier des Palmes Academiques, French Government, 1999 Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress, Sheesha ,1984 Best Film Actress Award, Mena Gurjari, Govt.of Gujarat,1975

Film Critics Award for Best Actress, Muthi Bhar Chawal 1974

Mallika Sarabhai (born May 9, 1954) is a renowned Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer from India. Daughter of classical danseuse Mrinalini Sarabhai and the renonwned space scientist, Vikram Sarabhai, Mallika is also known for her association with the field of theatre and cinema.[1]. She is now contesting the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from the Gandhinagar constituency, as an independent candidate.

Early life and background

Mallika Sarabhai was born in Gujarat, India to Vikram Sarabhai and Mrinalini Sarabhai in 1954.

She studied at St Xaviers College in her home town of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state.[2].

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[3] (1976), and has experience in acting, film-making, editing, and television anchoring.

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 movie 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.[4] 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.[5] The Gujarati government dropped the case in December 2004.

Theatre for awareness

In 1989 she performed hard-hitting solo theatrical works, Shakti: The Power of Women. after it She direct & 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 translate 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 [6]

Personal life

Mallika met Bipin Shah during her college days, and eventually married him and later divorced him after seven years. They have a son Revanta[7]. They cofounded Mapin Publishing in 1984 and still collaborate.

Her son Revanta (born 1984[8]) and daughter Anahita (born 1991) are upcoming classical dancers.

In her interviews, she has expressed the view that she does not have faith in marriage as an institution.[9] She considers marriage an outdated institution and restrictive of freedom of woman.[10]

Though I still have faith in relationships, I have lost faith in marriage. It doesn't have any relevance in today's context and certainly not in my life. Why do I need marriage? The reasons for which people get married are not why I would get married. I am economically independent and am having a ball

Mallika Sarabhai [9]

Political Career

On March 19, 2009, Mallika Sarabhai announced her candidature against the BJP’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.[11] 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.[11],[12] She described her candidature as a Satyagraha against the politics of hatred. [12]

Awards & Honours

  • Crystal Award by World Economic Forum, 2008 for recognition of her contribution in art and culture to promote global peace.[13]
  • Theatre Pasta Theatre Awards,2007
  • Nominated as one among 1000 women for Nobel Peace Prize ,2005 [14]
  • Indian for Collective Actions Honour Award,, 2004 [15]
  • Kala Shiromani Purskar , Institute of Economic Studies,2004 [15]
  • Woman of the Year , Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC),2003 [15]
  • Knight of the Order of Arts & Letters, French Government 2002
  • Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Creative Dance, 2001 [15]
  • Chevalier des Palmes Academiques, French Government, 1999 [15]
  • Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress, Sheesha ,1984 [15]
  • Best Film Actress Award, Mena Gurjari,Govt.of Gujarat,1975 [15]
  • Film Critics Award for Best Actress, Muthi Bhar Chawal 1974 [15]

References

  1. ^ About India’s leading choreographer and dancer Mallika Sarabhai
  2. ^ dancers indobase
  3. ^ http://mallikasarabhai.in/about-mallika-sarabhai-for-lok-sabha/mallika-sarabhai
  4. ^ the darpana academy of performing arts | usmanpura, ahmedabad - 380013, india
  5. ^ The Hindu : Why am I being crucified, asks Mallika Sarabhai
  6. ^ Unsuni Movement
  7. ^ Mallika on a mission, Aditi Tandon, http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071013/saturday/main1.htm
  8. ^ Dance works, Chitra Subramanyam, March 6, 2008 http://indiatoday.intoday.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&issueid=44&id=5428&Itemid=&sectionid=&completeview=1
  9. ^ a b Kharade, Pallavi (2005-02-21). "I don't need marriage". Times of India. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  10. ^ Pathiyan, Priya (2002-08-25). "Once is enough". Times of India. Retrieved 2009-04-14. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ a b Mallika Sarabhai and L. K. Advani in Gandhinagar
  12. ^ a b Mallika to contest against LK from Gandhinagar
  13. ^ "Amitabh Bachchan, Mallika Sarabhai to receive WEF Crystal Award". The Hindu. 2009-01-25. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
  14. ^ 1000 Peacewomen Across the Globe. Scalo. 2006-03-30. p. 1073. ISBN 3039390392.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h "Malika Sarabhai". Indo-American Arts Council Inc. 2007-02-27. Retrieved 2009-01-26.

See also

External links

Further reading

  • India’s 50 Most Illustrious Women (ISBN 81-88086-19-3) by Indra Gupta
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