Rohini Bhate

Rohini Bhate (Marathi: रोहिणी भाटे) (November 14, 1924 – October 10, 2008) was among the senior most Kathak dance exponents in India and a Fellow of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.^[1]

Early life and background

Rohini came from a middle-class Karhade Brahmin family. She was initially trained in Bharatanatyam under Guru Parvati Kumar. Later she specialised in Kathak under the guidance of Lacchu Maharaj and Mohan Rao Kallianpurkar. As a teenager, she took to practicing Kathak.

Career

Bhate was a leading dancer and teacher in Kathak. She started her career in dancing at the age of 28. She performed for more than six decades and was held in high respect by colleagues and critics alike. She had also learnt Hindustani classical singing and was well versed with literature. She learnt under Keshavrao Bhole and Vasantrao Deshpande.

Bhate founded the Nrityabharati Kathak Dance Academy at Pune in 1947. Over the last six decades she trained hundred of dancers from her academy. Rohini Bhate’s numerous papers on Kathak have revealed her erudition, and her practical contributions to various Kathak curricula are sought after at different universities. Rohini always sought a more comprehensive use of the basic tenets of the Kathak dance style. The academy is its head office in Pune’s Shivaji Nagar, seven branches in the Pune city, and one each in Indore and Germany.

Bhate used to say, "Dance does not signify mere pleasure - nor is it just fascinating physical activity. It awakens the soul and arouses a sense of elation - rarely experienced otherwise. What is Dance then - if not a prayer?"^[2]

She authored several books in Marathi, including her autobiography, “Majhi Nrityasadhana”, a translation of the autobiography of Isadora Duncan, “Mi Isadora”, and an edited version of the Sanskrit manual Abhinaya Darpana called “Kathak Darpana Deepika”. She had served on the committee of Khairagarh University and guided the preparation of syllabi for Kathak courses at Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune, where she served as Visiting Lecturer and Guru. Rohini Bhate also performed in the role of writer, translator, orator, theoretician, teacher and dancer. ^[3]

Death

Bhate died on October 10, 2008 at the age of 83, in Pune, Maharashtra, India. According to her daughter-in-law and disciple Shama Bhate, Rohini Bhate had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for her last five years and died from complications arising from the ailment.^[4]

See also

• List of Kathak dancers

References

External links