Mrinalini Sarabhai’s 100th Birthday
Today’s Doodle celebrates Indian classical dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai, who quickly developed her own technique, spirit, and strength by training at a young age, studying both the South Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam and the classical dance-drama of Kathakali.
One of the few classical dancers trained in more than one form, Sarabhai was able to quickly build a career in choreography and teaching. Despite seeing the continuous evolution of dance forms over her multi-decade career, she was inspired to choreograph more than three hundred dance dramas with a strong base of classical tradition behind them.
Sarabhai hoped to share the craft with future generations, which led her and her husband to found the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in 1949. The small dance academy grew to become not only a study center for diverse art forms, but one that used the power of arts to bring about positive change to the critical issues facing society.
Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Sudeepti Tucker, depicts Sarabhai with her signature parasol, standing proudly in the auditorium of that same academy where her students are dancing on stage.
Happy 100th birthday, Mrinalini Sarabhai!
