Dance should be a mirror to society. It should definitely serve a purpose,” says Mrinalini Sarabhai, the lady who gave a new meaning to Bharathnatyam in its purest form is happy as she looks back. At 93, Mrinalini is still going strong. “I can’t wait for my next performance,” says the danseuse who feels age is just an aspect of one’s mind,

is grace personified as we met her at Sreedhareeyam, the ayurvedic hospital in Kuthattukulam. “My continuous reading and writings have taken a toll on my eyes,” smiles the high priestess of dance as she slowly unwinds to her childhood days in Kerala. Years of living in Ahmedabad has not made her forget her ties in Kerala. “Though I was born and brought up in Chennai, we always made an annual trip to Pattambi, my father’s home,” reminisces Mrinalini. The stalwart behind Darpana, her dance academy in Ahmedabad, the first academy in Gujarat for South Indian dance forms and a favourite hub of many eminent names in Kathakali. Her bond with Kerala grew with her passion for dance, especially Kathakali, which brought her close to many prominent names in the art like Kottakkal Appu Nair and Kavungal Chathunni Panicker. Mrinalini, who took a liking for Kathakali at an early age was trained under eminent Kathakali artiste Kunju Kurup. “I was lucky to have a dedicated guru who came and stayed with me in Chennai,” says the dancer as she thinks of the bygone days when it was a celebration with dance and music. But nothing was so exhilarating for the fiery dancer than the stint at Santhiniketan that brought her close to Tagore. “Though he was much older to me we connected well,” she said. A sweet smile lingers on her lips as she remembers how she found a special place in her gurus heart. “The atmosphere there was vibrant for any kind of art.” Soon Mrinalini started exploring the various possibilities in dance. One great step was the fusion of Bharathnatyam and Kathakali that culminated in the innumerable and endearing dance dramas, each that carried a message relevant to the times.
“The first one I performed on stage was based on the women suicides and dowry deaths in Tamil Nadu,” she says. It shook the psyche of those in power and lead to take efficient steps in favour of those tormented souls. “Dance is the form of art that can efficiently showcase the beauty as well as the ugliness of life,” believes the dancer who had dedicated her environment-based dramas to mostly children. Most of them are a lesson on the various issues stifling our country. One of her recent performances that took her places was the dance drama Mahatma and the Poetess, based on the letters exchanged between Mahatma and Sarojini Naidu, that she performed with actor Tom Alter. A versatile character her life reads like the lovely poems that fill her with new life each day. “The best thing that happened to me was meeting Vikram,” Mrinalini throws light on the strong bond she shared with her husband. It was during a performance in Bengaluru that she met the handsome scientist. The relationship blossomed with both sharing mutual interests in art. “The Sarabhais were very artistic and many musicians like MS Subalakshmi frequented our home. I trusted him completely and many a time he advised me on the changes that could better a performance,” muses Mrinalini. The talent and subtle taste in art was passed on to her daughter, Mallika, who took dance as her profession after a MBA degree from the prestigious IIM, Ahmedabad. But what fills her with immense joy these days is none other than watching the performance of her grandson Revanta, who learnt the nuances of classical dance by watching his mother and grandmother at Darpana. With 300 dance dramas to her credit Mrinalini is gearing up to celebrate this years Vikram Sarabhai Art Festival as the birth centenary of Tagore, her guru and mentor.

The lead choreographer at Darpana, Revanta’s recent performance in London inspired by the poetry, ‘Dance In Me, by Mrinalini was widely appreciated in the artistic circle.