From a small dance academy that was founded over five decades ago, today Darpana is a workshop for the arts where tradition meets technology to break down boundaries of art and life and where performers from the world over work together to open mindscapes through the arts. Established by Mrinalini and Vikram Sarabhai in 1949, for the last two decades the academy has been directed by their daughter Mallika Sarabhai. Today it has a permanent staff of over 60 people and several hundred others on projects. Its departments range from performance and teaching of the arts to their use as development communication through face to face impacting and software production. Its audiences range from arts lovers to district and supreme court judges, the less privileged across the world, children, women, tribal populations and more. With over 25000 graduates, nearly 10000 performances, audiences in 90 countries and a vibrant arts environment, Darpana today is a centre for artists committed to excellence, innovation and the excitement of using the arts for change. Darpana's vision is a contemporary symbiosis affirming the role of creativity in culture, researching into our origins and reaching out to the unsaid or unthought of, with a language that is universal.
Mrinalini Sarabhai
Mrinalini Sarabhai is a celebrated dancer and choreographer and has achieved an international reputation that is unmatched by any contemporary Indian classical dancer. The syntax of her creativity mediates between a moral commitment to traditional form and the desire to claim one's own experiments as unique, unrepeatable. This interface of technical mastery and creative expressionism achieves a profoundly versatile language of the body - simple, eloquent, visually inspiring. The creative anarchy of her essentially modern style is convincingly disciplined by the taut orthodoxy of her classical technique, learnt from her guru Sri Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai. The result is an exalted visual statement combining almost fanatical purity of vision with modish formal experiments.
She is the founder-director of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, Ahmedabad, which came into being in 1949. She has traveled extensively all over the world and has received many distinguished national and international awards and citations for her contribution to the preservation of Indian classical dance. Called 'the High Priestess of Indian dance' by dance critics, she is a pioneer in creative work and has given new concepts to traditional dance forms with fresh perspectives and new mysteries.
She is the first Indian to receive the medal and Diploma of the French Archives Internationales de la Danse. She was awarded the title of Natya Kala Sikhamani in Madras in 1960 in recognition of her artistic eminence and her unequalled performances of Bharatanatyam. In 1965, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. In 1968 she was honoured with a gold medal by the Mexican Government for her choreography for the Ballet Folklorico of Mexico. In 1969, Gujarat's first State Award for dance was awarded to her for her unique contribution to the art. She is the first and only woman to receive a Veera Shrinkala for her contribution to the Kathakali dance form. In 1979 Mrinalini was awarded the D.Litt. degree for her eminence in dance and literature by the Rabindra Bharati University of Calcutta. She was honoured with the coveted Vishwa Gurjari award in 1984 for achieving a unique international reputation as a contemporary Indian classical dancer and for her contribution to Indian classical dance. She was awarded the prestigious Desikottama (D.Litt. Honoris Causa) degree, the highest honour of the Vishva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, in 1987.
She was nominated to the Executive Committee of the International Dance Council, Paris in 1990. She was presented the Honor Summus Award by the Watumull Foundation, Honolulu, Hawaii in 1991 in recognition of her outstanding success as a dancer, for her creative dance-dramas, and for her revival and preservation of Indian dance, drama and puppetry forms. The first Hall of Fame Award for life-long service to dance was given to her by Dynasty Culture Club in 1991. The same year the Gujarat Government honoured her by presenting the Pandit Omkarnath Thakur Award for valuable contribution in the field of performing arts. She was presented the Raseshwar award by the Sur-Singar Samsad, Bombay in 1992. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President of India in 1992. She was made a Fellow of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi in 1994. She was awarded the Scroll of Honour by the Vice-President of India in 1995 in recognition of decades-long research, experimentation and presentation of Indian classical and creative dance choreographic creations. She was awarded the Kerala Kalamandalam Fellowship in 1995. She was awarded the Kalidas Samman by the Madhya Pradesh Government in 1996 for her contribution to Classical Dance. She was honoured with the Degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa (LittD) by the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK in 1997.
The Choreographer
Mrinalini has choreographed more than three hundred dance dramas including Manushya-The Life of Man, Matsya Kanya, Vasant Vijayam, Nalakhyan, Tasher Desh, Geeta Govindam, Silapadikaram, Vikramorvasiyam, Meghaduta, Sarabhendra Bhupala Kuravanji, Gowri, Abhisarika, Usha Aniruddha, Pallaki Seva Prabandham, Valli Kalyanam, Yasovarman, Nalakhyana, Malavikagnimitra, Krishnagaan, Prahalada Charitam, Pancharatna Kritis of Thyagaraja, Ashwatthama, Stree Priyadarshini, Bhakti, Bhama Kalapam, Maricha Vadham, Ahimsa, Kiratarjuniyam, Mohini Bhasmasura, Sampoorna Ramayanam, Nataraja Vandanam, Memory, Vidhi Natakam, Kumara Sambhavam, Shakuntala, Chandalika, Atma, Revelations and Surya. Her latest dance dramas, Krishna the musical, Krishna-Gopala and This Mahabharata mirror today's world.
The Writer
Mrinalini has written novels, poetry, plays and stories for children. Amongst these are: Captive Soil (play), This Alone is True (novel), Devadasi (novel), Understanding Bharatanatyam (text book of Bharatanatyam), Bharatiya Nritya (on dance), Bharatiya Nrityakala (on dance), Longing for the Beloved (homage to Lord Shiva), Kan (mystical poem), Sacred Dance of India (on dance), Creations (essays on choreographic experiments), 'Vision of Vasavadatta" (co-authored with John D. Mitchell of Institute of Advanced Studies in the Theatre Arts (IASTA), New York - on Bhasa's epic Play"Swapna Vasavadatta"), The Mahabharata (poem), Krishna my Beloved (Poem), Return of Bharata (Play), Urmila (novel), Nala Damayanti, Krishna - The Prince of Brindavan, Kiratarjuniyam, Ramayana, Geeta Govinda, Usha Anirudha, The Youngest Dancer, Stories of India and Krishna. She has also written, and continues to write articles for journals, magazines and the arts on subjects that vary from the English language to the influences of herbs and mudras on health, to the silk route and the patola textiles of India and the South Eastern trade routes.
The Craftsperson
She was Chairperson of the Gujarat State Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation Ltd. For many years and inculcated the taste of her own vision into the creative work of the artisans reviving ancient techniques, designs and village crafts. She continues working with women in creating eco-friendly crafts that also provide livelihoods to them with dignity and security.
The Concerned Citizen
She is one of the trustees of the Sarvodaya International Trust, an organization for promotion of Gandhian ideals.She is the Chairperson of the Nehru Foundation For Development, which has been promoting educational efforts since 1966 in the areas of science, nature study, health, development and environment. As a keen environmentalist, she is the President of Prakriti, an organization committed to preserve the greenery of Ahmedabad while handling other social issues. Prakriti has recently been working with the riot hit victims of Gujarat, helping them rebuild their lives.
Mallika Sarabhai
Mallika Sarabhai is a performer and creator of many talents. Her career has developed from being a young, internationally acclaimed, classical dancer and film personality, to being an activist and commentator on social issues.
Now an established artist she celebrates positive reaffirmation of images of womanhood through dance, theatre and writing. Following the rich and inspiring model of her mother Mrinalini, Mallika has placed herself firmly at the cutting edge of Indian dance and dance theatre.
In a culture which favours conservatism she wields the vocabularies of Indian traditions as trenchant tools to sculpt new reactions in her audiences. As dancer, actress, choreographer, writer, or instigator of community projects she challenges audiences to sit up and think, realign themselves to questions of ecology, women's place in society, gender awareness, cultural atrophy, the very place of the arts in our society.
Deeply rooted in Indian cultures, but open to the influences of her collaborations around the world she has synthesized her experiences to become one of the most exciting creative influences in India today. Dynamic, charming and dry-witted, she is a rare creature in the arts.
Mallika is co-director of Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in Ahmedabad, a unique centre for the arts which has performed all over India and all around the world. Here she directs the Darpana Performance Group; the Janavak
Folk and Tribal Dance Company; Darpana for Development; Darpana Communications; and the Darpana Conservatoire.
The Dancer
At the root of Mallika's performance is her expertise and deep knowledge of two forms of Indian classical dance, Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh respectively. As a young woman she won international awards for her classical dance, and she is still learning items from her gurus, some of which she alone in the world can perform.
Even in these forms she has rejected items which she feels stem from overtly patriarchal periods and which represent women as subservient, and has put together pieces celebrating the strength of the goddesses of the Hindu pantheon.
This is still the main element of her performance life, whether at international festivals or local cultural events, and the warmth and life with which she imbues these forms keeps her much in demand.
The Choreographer
In Indian dance there is no great tradition of creative choreography. It was Mrinalini Sarabhai who first used the Bharatanatyam vocabulary to speak of moods and themes other than the traditional devotional ones. She talked of bride burning and of pollution in her dance dramas. Mallika performed in these and absorbed the ideas but it is only in the last decade that she has started to choreograph herself, her company and even her mother. As she started to crystallize what it was she wanted to express through her work she drew on many elements to create her choreographic vocabulary. Of course the elements of her classical dance were there, but so were the rhythms and steps from the work of her folk dance company. She studied martial art forms from South India and from North East India, she observed and stylized everyday movements and gestures until she could create pieces which react to communal violence in India (Mean Streets on Earth), which celebrate rituals behind her dance (Thattukazhi), or the rites of passage of a woman (Ceremony 1). In these, and many more, she is still experimenting with other musics, with video accompaniment, with multi-arts forms. In a very real sense these interdisciplinary works are deeply in the tradition of Indian performance, and now these works too are being invited around the world.
The Theatre-Maker
Just as her choreography looks at issues of social importance, Mallika's theatre work has evolved into a new and vital form challenging people's preconceptions. Using her natural charm and with, a strong voice and her ability for story- telling and for directly addressing her audience with conviction, as well as her movement and dance skills, serious subjects have been tackled in a burst of refreshing work.
During her performance as Draupadi in Peter Brook's Mahabharata, she became aware of the need to make strong and positive statements about images of Indian womanhood, to counter the often misleading accounts by male commentators.This led to her creating "Shakti - The power of Women " in London which subsequently toured Britain, Holland and India.
Its reappraisal of mythological, historical and contemporary female figures had stunning effect on audiences and quickly led to a second piece, "Sita's Daughters", which is an even harder hitting ( although often very funny) piece about women who refuse to accept an oppressive system. This piece was performed all over India from slums to metropolitan festivals and has been invited to Singapore, USA and Britain.
Using similar skills she teamed up with Nigerian performer Peter Badejo to throw light onto matters of cultural manipulation in the highly successful Itan Kahani- The story of stories. This was followed by a very ambitious project, a new piece blowing some fresh air through the subject of why do we commit violence for. In April 99 came In Search of the Goddess commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC.
In recent years Mallika has managed to apply her artistic talents to her desire for social change in a series of unique projects. Working with terms of her most experienced Darpana performers, and training dozens of her rural and traditional artists, she has instituted programmes of using the performing arts to examine gender awarness, issues of violence and environmental issues in schools. AIDS awareness in slum areas and witch killing in rural areas. These interactive projects bring artists together with sociologists, scientists and local people to make challenging programmes often leading to community performance.
"Sarabhai: A jewel in the crown of Indian dance." The Jerusalem Post, Israel.
"Mallika Sarabhai mesmerises Clinton." Indian Express, Delhi.
"In a two-hour opening night solo concert, Mallika Sarabhai showed what an outstanding all round communicator she was, and received one of the Arts Festival's few standing ovations." The Straits Times, Singapore.
"The Indian Dance Ensemble with Mrinalini Sarabhai as leader brought to the Chinese people the superb artistry which was warmly received." Hobei Ribao, China.
"Mrinalini is the ideal Indian dancer-vibrant and eloquent." Manila Chronicle, Philippines.
"Manushya held the audience spellbound." New Times, Myanmar.
"Mallika's touch of magic." Hong Kong Standard, Hong Kong.
"A genius in dancing." Kohoku-Shimpo, Japan.
"Beautiful dancer Sarabhai brings a refreshing but all too brief spell of culture to K. Lumpur." Malaya Mail, Malaysia.
"Brilliant and fascinating dance. Superb dancing." Serbia.
"Mrinalini Sarabhai is one of India's miracles and we bow to her in reverence and longingly wish to see her again." El Amir El Maligne, Egypt.
"Those who lamented that she did not dance Bharatanatyam or Kuchipudi missed the point she made: art with a social purpose is the highest form of art." Kenya.
"A mesmerising performer, Ms. Sarabhai was given a standing ovation." Daily News, South Africa.
"The objective of Mallika Sarabhai's superb piece Sita's Daughter is to enable women to refuse to give in to the pressure around them." Daily News, Tanzania.
"Astonishing beauty; one can be lifted out of rigid western civilisation to a new understanding of an Eastern philosophy of life." Glasgow Herald, Scotland.
"She possesses a remarkable force that can manage to communicate to the western audience the essence of her country's dance in its authenticity." La Lanterns, Belgium.
"Mrinalini Sarabhai does not make any concession to the West - she has guarded zealously the pure religious and mystical quality of the Hindu dance." Le Soir, Belgium.
"Mallika Sarabhai is the archetypal modern Indian woman. Her expression of truth is very fine." The Western Australia, Australia.
Abu Dhabi
Ghana
Nigeria
Argentina
Greece
Panama
Australia
Guyana
Pakistan
Albania
Hong Kong
Peru
Afghanistan
Hungary
Philippines
Austria
Indonesia
Portugal
Bahrain
Iran
Poland
Bangladesh
Iraq
Qatar
Belgium
Ireland
Romania
Benin
Israel
Scotland
Brazil
Italy
Serbia
Botswana
Japan
Singapore
Bolivia
Jordan
Sikkim
Bosnia
Kenya
Sierra Leone
Bulgaria
Kirgistan
Slovakia
Byelorus
Kuwait
Slovenia
Cambodia
Laos
South Africa
Canada
Lebanon
Spain
China
Lesotho
Sri Lanka
Chile
Luxembourg
Surinam
Costa Rica
Lithuania
Sweden
Colombia
Malaysia
Switzerland
Croatia
Macau
Taiwan
Czech Republic
Mongolia
Tanzania
Denmark
Mexico
Thailand
Dubai
Myanmar
Turkey
Doha
Montenegro
Uganda
Egypt
Mauritius
Ukraine
Estonia
Nepal
Uzbekistan
France
Nicaragua
U.K
Germany
Netherlands
U.S.A.
Georgia
Namibia
Vietnam
Zambia
The Governing Council
Darpana has had a distinguished Governing Council for the last three years, Chaired by writer-film maker Jayobroto Chatterjee, and including well-known painter Rekha Rodwittiya; activists Kamla Bhasin, Fr. Rappai S.J, Ms. Naina Kapoor, and Dr Indira Parikh, Dean of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Five distinguished people now join the Council: Sunita Kohli, the first to be awarded the Padmashree for achieving excellence in interior design and restoration; Subodh Bhargava, an independent director, who earlier served as the Chairman and Managing Director of Eicher Motors; Lila Poonawala, recipient of the Royal Order of the Pole Star from the King of Sweden; Prof. Anil Gupta, a professor at IIM-A and Anu Aga, former chairperson of the Pune based Thermax Ltd.
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Governing Council Members
Ms. Lila Poonawalla:
First, starring in the stellar role of the Exports Manager and then graduating to the plum role of the M.D of Alfa Laval and Tetra Pak. Suddenly Lila Poonawalla's world was awash with head-on challenges, marketing strategies and political correctness. A recipient of Padmashree award, she is also managing the Lila Poonawalla Foundation for the education of the girl students.
Ms. Rekha Rodwittiya:
Rekha Rodwittiya was born in Bangalore, got a BA in Fine Arts in Baroda in 1981 and an MA in the same from the Royal College of Art in London in 1984. Rodwittiya has always been concerned with the representation of the female figure: she had sown the seeds for a feminist practice of painting during the course of her Fine Arts degree in Baroda.
The resistance of her male contemporaries towards a new gender representation spurred her desire to find the vocabulary to represent women without objectifying them, without allowing the viewer to play the role of voyeur. Rodwittiya represents large clothed Gauginesque women as the archetypal figure in their daily work rituals, dwarfing their tools and objects that surround them, in a celebration of the female protagonist.
Prof. Anil Gupta:
Prof. Anil Gupta is the chairperson of SRISTI and Honey Bee Network, vice chairman of the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) and a professor at IIM-Ahmedabad.
Dr. Gupta earned his Ph.D. degree in management from Kurukshetra University (India) in 1986 after his masters in Biochemical Genetics in 1974 from Haryana Agricultural University, Haryana.
Shri Jayabroto Chatterjee:
Jayabrato Chatterjee, writer, filmmaker and corporate communicator started his career with a feature film 'Kehkasha' in Hindi. He has scripted, directed and produced over 35 documentaries, including short features and serials.
His career in writing spans journalism and corporate communications, with Guest Keen Williams, Tata Steel, Dunlop and Ambuja group for 38 years.
Smt. Anu Aga:
Anu Aga is responsible for turning around the fortunes of the engineering giant Thermax Ltd. The Social sector has always been close to Aga’s heart. She supports various organizations that promote education, in particular of underprivileged children from slums. She has started centres for slum children in Pune with the help of an NGO from Mumbai called Akanksha, which means hope or aspiration. Currently she is working on a number of projects in the area of corporate social responsibility with select NGOs.
Sunita Kohli:
Ms. Sunita Kohli is the first to be awarded the Padmashree for achieving excellence in interior design and restoration. She has written several papers in design and is one of the authors of Architecture and Planning of New Delhi. She did her MA in English and started her career as a lecturer in Loretto College.
Ms. Kohli has designed the DLF corporate office (which is known as an architectural wonder), the Prime Minister's office in South block and the one where the Cabinet meetings take place, Cubbon House in Nandi Hills, which was a retreat for the heads of States during the 1986 SAARC meet. To mention a few of her overseas projects, she has designed 3 hotel boats in Egypt, the El-Arish, the Greenery Restaurant and the Public for the Oberois.
Smt. Kamla Bhasin:
Kamla Bhasin, noted Indian human rights activist was born and grew up in Rajasthan, India. She received an MA in Economics at Rajasthan University and studied Sociology of Development for four semesters at Muenster University in West Germany. Bhasin's work has involved close collaboration with U.N., government, and bilateral agencies, media, researchers, academics and others.
As part of this work she has travelled extensively in Asia, specially in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Bhutan India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. She has been able to see the work of and establish personal contacts with a large number of organisations involved in development action and reflection at different levels.
Shri Subodh Bhargava:
Mr. Subodh Bhargava, Chairman of VSNL has been a past President of CII, and served as Group Chairman & CEO of the Eicher Group until March 2000. He is presently associated with several boards as an Independent Director, and is currently Chairman of Wartsila India Ltd.
Shri R.K. Shah:
R.K. Shah has been working with Nehru Foundation for Development for last 36 years. A commerce graduate from Gujarat University, Mr. Shah possesses excellent computer skills in Project Management and Accounting of voluntary and social organizations, and has developed Integrated Accounting Software for NGOs. Apart from supervising the accounts department of Nehru Foundation for Development.
Mr. Shah is offering his services as a Hon. Consultant to Water and Sanitation Management Organization (WASMO), Government of Gujarat and running an organization named 'Jansuvidha Medical Services' for providing free medical services to the needy.
Prof. Indira Parikh:
Professor Indira Parikh, Professor of Organisational Behaviour at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad was the visiting Associate Professor of the College of Business Administration, Texas University College, USA and was previously a research scholar at the European Institute of Business Administration in France. She has also served as Executive Director and Dean - Research and Training of the Indian Society for Individual and Social Development, Ahmedabad.
Prof. Parikh who took a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Studies from the University of Rochester, USA specialised with a Masters degree in Education from the same university. Thereafter, she took a Doctorate from the University of Gujarat. She has designed and conducted many management development programmes on areas such as transformation of organisations, women in management and leadership roles, consulting strategies, general management, roles and authority of women managers and management education programmes. She is the author of several publications and books.
Fr. Rappai Poothokaren, S.J:
Father Rappai Poothakaran, a father from the Society of Jesus, has traveled extensively, documenting the life, music and dance of the tribals of India. He is the Director of Gurjarvani, a communication centre committed to use the Mass Media for the integral human development. Gurjarvani also organizes/provides Media training and specializes in low-cost and group-media training for the grass root level personnel. Father Rappai is one of the founder members of Taru Mitra, a student movement to protect and promote a healthy environment on Earth.
Ms. Naina Kapur:
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Ms. Naina Kapur is a lawyer and human rights activist with a specific interest in violence against women in India. She is Director of the SAKSHI Centre, which has evolved as an intervenor on violence against women issues through the development of lateral linkages with the health, legal, educational, NGO and governmental sectors.
She has also recently authored a paper and a training module on sexual harassment in India. Kapur also co-chairs the Asia-Pacific Advisory Forum on Judicial Education on Equality Issues, which has a mandate to achieve gender equality education for judges and others in the region with a focus on violence against women.
