Mrinalini Sarabhai passes away at 97

Veteran danseuse and Padma awardee Mrinalini Sarabhai, the exponent of classical dance forms who used her art to highlight the problems faced by modern society, died due to age-related problems in the city on Thursday. She was 97.

Mrinalini Sarabhai was admitted to a hospital on Wednesday, but was brought to her home early this morning where she breathed her last.

Sarabhai choreographed over 300 dance-dramas touching upon modern subjects and contributed immensely to popularise the art in the country and abroad. Coming from the family of achievers, an exponent of classical dance forms, she broke the barrier of tradition of the age-old dance performance based on religious themes while introducing tales of modern times.

Some of her dance-dramas – like the musical Krishna Gopala and This Mahabharata – mirror today’s world.

“My mother was a modern woman with deep roots in our tradition,” said her grieving daughter Mallika Sarabhai, who is also a renowned danseuse.

“Without compromising an inch from the classical dance forms of Bharatnatyam and Kathakalli, using them she created numerous dance-dramas highlighting the problems faced by modern society,” Mallika said. 

Her reputation for innovation is unmatched – from classical dance to cutting-edge performance art.