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{{short description|Indian dancer and choreographer}}
{{Short description|Indian dancer and choreographer (1930–2025)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
|name       = Kumudini Lakhia
| name               = Kumudini Lakhia
|image       = Kumudini-lakhia-1d89c82c-2f73-436a-b856-ab8b9f244f9-resize-750.jpg
| image             = [[File:Kumudini Lakhia (cropped).jpg|200px]]
|caption     =  
| caption           =  
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|17 May 1930|df=y}}
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1930|5|17|df=y}}
|birth_place = India
| birth_place       = [[British Raj|India]]
|death_date =  
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2025|4|12|1930|5|17|df=y}}
|death_place =  
| death_place       = [[Ahmedabad]], [[Gujarat]], India
|known_for   = [[Kathak dance]] and [[choreography]]
| known_for         = [[Kathak dance]] and [[choreography]]
|occupation = Founder-Director, Kadamb School of Dance and Music
| awards            = [[Padma Vibhushan]]
| occupation         = Founder-Director, Kadamb School of Dance and Music
}}
}}


'''Kumudini Lakhia''' (born 17 May 1930) is an Indian [[Kathak]] dancer and choreographer based in [[Ahmedabad, Gujarat]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Swaminathan |first1=Chitra |title=Kumudini Lakhia: The lovable diva of choreography |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/dance/kumudini-lakhia-the-lovable-diva-of-choreography/article31639485.ece |work=The Hindu |date=21 May 2020 |language=en-IN}}</ref> where she founded Kadamb School of Dance and Music, an institute of Indian dance and music in 1967.<ref>{{cite news|title=A dancers opinion|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ahmedabad-events/Dancing-your-way-to-health/articleshow/14861355.cms|work=[[The Times of India]]|agency=TNN|access-date=6 October 2018|date=17 July 2002|author=Pathak, Rujul}}</ref>
'''Kumudini Lakhia''' (17 May 1930 – 12 April 2025) was an Indian [[Kathak]] dancer and choreographer based in [[Ahmedabad, Gujarat]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Swaminathan |first1=Chitra |title=Kumudini Lakhia: The lovable diva of choreography |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/dance/kumudini-lakhia-the-lovable-diva-of-choreography/article31639485.ece |work=The Hindu |date=21 May 2020 |language=en-IN}}</ref> where she founded Kadamb School of Dance and Music, an institute of Indian dance and music in 1967.<ref>{{cite news|title=A dancers opinion|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ahmedabad-events/Dancing-your-way-to-health/articleshow/14861355.cms|work=[[The Times of India]]|agency=TNN|access-date=6 October 2018|date=17 July 2002|author=Pathak, Rujul}}</ref>


A pioneer in contemporary Kathak dance, she is credited for moving away from the solo form of [[Kathak]] 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=When Many Feet Make Loud Work|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/arts/dance/24howa.html?ref=dance|author=Rachel Howard|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=24 September 2006|access-date=6 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Dance of the masters|url=https://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/11/21/stories/2004112100460500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050531215119/http://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/11/21/stories/2004112100460500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 May 2005|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=21 November 2004|location=Chennai, India|access-date=6 October 2018}}</ref><ref name=vo/>
A pioneer in contemporary Kathak dance, she was credited with moving away from the solo form of [[Kathak]] 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=When Many Feet Make Loud Work|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/arts/dance/24howa.html?ref=dance|author=Rachel Howard|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=24 September 2006|access-date=6 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Dance of the masters|url=https://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/11/21/stories/2004112100460500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050531215119/http://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/11/21/stories/2004112100460500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 May 2005|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=21 November 2004|location=Chennai, India|access-date=6 October 2018}}</ref><ref name=vo/>


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
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==Career==
==Career==
She startred her career dancing with [[Ram Gopal (dancer)|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]]'', and then from [[Shambhu Maharaj]].
Lakhia started her career dancing with [[Ram Gopal (dancer)|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]]'', and then from [[Shambhu Maharaj]].


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]], ''[[Umrao Jaan (1981 film)|Umrao Jaan]]'' (1981), along with [[Gopi Krishna (dancer)|Gopi Krishna]].<ref>{{IMDb name|1252082}}</ref><ref name=bo>{{cite web|title=Bollywood's new dancing queen|access-date=6 October 2018|url=http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/02merchant.htm|date=2 August 2006|publisher=[[Rediff]] Movies}}</ref>
She was 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]], ''[[Umrao Jaan (1981 film)|Umrao Jaan]]'' (1981), along with [[Gopi Krishna (dancer)|Gopi Krishna]].<ref>{{IMDb name|1252082}}</ref><ref name=bo>{{cite web|title=Bollywood's new dancing queen|access-date=6 October 2018|url=http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/02merchant.htm|date=2 August 2006|publisher=[[Rediff]] Movies}}</ref>


She is a guru to many disciples, including [[Kathak]] dancers [[Aditi Mangaldas]], Vaishali Trivedi, Sandhya Desai, Daksha Sheth, Maulik Shah, Ishira Parikh,  Prashant Shah, Urja Thakore and Parul Shah amongst others .
Lakhia was a guru to many disciples, including [[Kathak]] dancers [[Aditi Mangaldas]], Vaishali Trivedi, Sandhya Desai, Daksha Sheth, Maulik Shah, Ishira Parikh,  Prashant Shah, Urja Thakore and Parul Shah amongst others.


==Personal life==
==Personal life and death==
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.  
Kumudini Lakhia married Rajnikant Lakhia, who was studying law at the Lincolns Inn and was a violinist with the Ram Gopal company before moving to Ahmedabad in 1960. She had a son, Shriraj, and a daughter, Maitreyi.
She has a son Shriraj and a daughter Maitreyi.
 
{{expand section|date=March 2015}}
Lakhia died in Ahmedabad on 12 April 2025, at the age of 94.<ref>[https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/renowned-kathak-dancer-kumudini-lakhia-passes-away-9940283/ Renowned Kathak dancer Kumudini Lakhia passes away]</ref>
She was the Cornell Visiting Professor at Swarthmore College for the 2012–2013 academic year.


==Choreographies==
==Choreographies==
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*"Mushti" (2005)<ref name=vo>{{cite news|title=New vocabulary for Kathak|author=Leela Venkatraman|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/New-vocabulary-for-Kathak/article15401691.ece|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=25 May 2008|location=Chennai, India|access-date=6 October 2018}}</ref>
*"Mushti" (2005)<ref name=vo>{{cite news|title=New vocabulary for Kathak|author=Leela Venkatraman|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/New-vocabulary-for-Kathak/article15401691.ece|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=25 May 2008|location=Chennai, India|access-date=6 October 2018}}</ref>


==Awards and honors==
==Awards and honours==
*[[Padma Shri]] by the [[Government of India]] in 1987
*[[Padma Shri]] by the [[Government of India]] in 1987
*[[Padma Bhushan]] in 2010
*[[Padma Bhushan]] in 2010
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*[[Kalidas Samman]] for the year 2002-03
*[[Kalidas Samman]] for the year 2002-03
*[[Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna]] by [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]] in 2011
*[[Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna]] by [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]] in 2011
*Guru Gopinath Desiya Natya Puraskaram (2021) by [[Government of Kerala]]<ref name="The Hindu 2022">{{cite news |title=Guru Gopinath award for Kumidini Lakhia|newspaper=The Hindu|date=9 June 2022|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/guru-gopinath-award-for-kumidini-lakhia/article65511689.ece|access-date=7 July 2022}}</ref>
* [[Padma Vibhushan]] for year 2025 for her contribution in the field of Art<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.padmaawards.gov.in/Document/pdf/notifications/PadmaAwards/2025.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126163202/https://www.padmaawards.gov.in/Document/pdf/notifications/PadmaAwards/2025.pdf |archive-date=26 January 2025 |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=www.padmaawards.gov.in |url-status=live }}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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==Further reading==
==Further reading==
*''Movement in Stills: The Dance And Life of Kumudini Lakhia'' ({{ISBN|81-88204-42-0}}) by Reena Shah
* ''Movement in Stills: The Dance And Life of Kumudini Lakhia'' ({{ISBN|81-88204-42-0}}) by Reena Shah
*[http://www.narthaki.com/info/articles/article52.html Choreography in the Indian Context by Kumudini Lakhia, (Keynote address Feb 2002)]
* [http://www.narthaki.com/info/articles/article52.html Choreography in the Indian Context by Kumudini Lakhia, (Keynote address Feb 2002)]


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.kadamb.net Kadamb website]
* [http://www.kadamb.net Kadamb website]
*[http://www.narthaki.com/info/intervw/intrv115i.html Kumudini Lakhia Interview] nartaki.com
* {{IMDb name| 1252082}}
*{{Gujarati Vishwakosh}}
* [http://www.narthaki.com/info/intervw/intrv115i.html Kumudini Lakhia Interview] at nartaki.com
* {{Gujarati Vishwakosh}}


{{Padma Vibhushan Awards}}
{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 2010–19}}
{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art}}
{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art}}
{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 2010–19}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Lakhia, Kumudini}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lakhia, Kumudini}}
[[Category:Kathak exponents]]
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:Performers of Indian classical dance]]
[[Category:2025 deaths]]
[[Category:Kathak dancers]]
[[Category:Indian classical choreographers]]
[[Category:Indian classical choreographers]]
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Artists from Ahmedabad]]
[[Category:Artists from Ahmedabad]]
[[Category:Teachers of Indian classical dance]]
[[Category:Teachers of Indian classical dance]]
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[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]
[[Category:Indian women choreographers]]
[[Category:Indian women choreographers]]
[[Category:Indian choreographers]]
[[Category:Women educators from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Women educators from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Educators from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Educators from Gujarat]]
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[[Category:Dancers from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Dancers from Gujarat]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women educators]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women artists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women artists]]
[[Category:Women musicians from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Women musicians from Gujarat]]
[[Category:20th-century women educators]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in arts]]

Latest revision as of 09:52, 12 January 2026


Kumudini Lakhia
Born(1930-05-17)17 May 1930
India
Died12 April 2025(2025-04-12) (aged 94)
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
OccupationFounder-Director, Kadamb School of Dance and Music
Known forKathak dance and choreography
AwardsPadma Vibhushan

Kumudini Lakhia (17 May 1930 – 12 April 2025) was an Indian Kathak dancer and choreographer based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat,[1] where she founded Kadamb School of Dance and Music, an institute of Indian dance and music in 1967.[2]

A pioneer in contemporary Kathak dance, she was credited with moving away from the solo form of Kathak 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.[3][4][5]

Early life and education[edit | edit source]

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.[6]

Career[edit | edit source]

Lakhia started 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, and then from Shambhu Maharaj.

She was 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, Umrao Jaan (1981), along with Gopi Krishna.[7][8]

Lakhia was a guru to many disciples, including Kathak dancers Aditi Mangaldas, Vaishali Trivedi, Sandhya Desai, Daksha Sheth, Maulik Shah, Ishira Parikh, Prashant Shah, Urja Thakore and Parul Shah amongst others.

Personal life and death[edit | edit source]

Kumudini Lakhia married Rajnikant Lakhia, who was studying law at the Lincolns Inn and was a violinist with the Ram Gopal company before moving to Ahmedabad in 1960. She had a son, Shriraj, and a daughter, Maitreyi.

Lakhia died in Ahmedabad on 12 April 2025, at the age of 94.[9]

Choreographies[edit | edit source]

  • "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)[5]

Awards and honours[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Swaminathan, Chitra (21 May 2020). "Kumudini Lakhia: The lovable diva of choreography". The Hindu.
  2. ↑ Pathak, Rujul (17 July 2002). "A dancers opinion". The Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  3. ↑ Rachel Howard (24 September 2006). "When Many Feet Make Loud Work". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  4. ↑ "Dance of the masters". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 21 November 2004. Archived from the original on 31 May 2005. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Leela Venkatraman (25 May 2008). "New vocabulary for Kathak". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  6. ↑ Profile: A whole new whirl Suhani Singh, India Today, January 6, 2016.
  7. ↑ Kumudini Lakhia on IMDb
  8. ↑ "Bollywood's new dancing queen". Rediff Movies. 2 August 2006. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  9. ↑ Renowned Kathak dancer Kumudini Lakhia passes away
  10. ↑ "Guru Gopinath award for Kumidini Lakhia". The Hindu. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  11. ↑ www.padmaawards.gov.in https://www.padmaawards.gov.in/Document/pdf/notifications/PadmaAwards/2025.pdf. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2025. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

Further reading[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

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