Roshan Kumari
Roshan Kumari | |
---|---|
Born |
24 December Ambala, Haryana, India |
Occupation |
Classical dancer Actor Choreographer |
Known for | Kathak |
Parent(s) |
Fakir Mohammed Zohrabai Ambalewali |
Awards |
Padma Shri Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Nritya Shiromani Nritya Vilas Vishwa Unnyyan Samsad Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar Kathak Kendra Man Patra All India Bhuwalka Award Hanumant Award |
Roshan Kumari Fakir Mohammad is an Indian classical dancer, actor and choreographer,[1] considered by many as one of the foremost exponents of the Indian classical dance form of Kathak.[2][3] She follows the Jaipur Gharana and is the founder of Nritya Kala Kendra, Mumbai, an academy promoting Kathak.[4] A recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1975,[5] she received the fourth highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Shri from the Government of India in 1984.[6]
Biography
Roshan Kumari was born on the Christmas Eve (year of birth uncertain) at Ambala in the north Indian state of Haryana (erstwhile Punjab) to Choudhury Fakir Mohammed, a noted Tabla player and Zohrabai Ambalewali,[7] renowned classical and playback singer.[8] She learnt the basics of Kathak from K. S. Moray and continued her studies at Maharaj Bindaddin School of Kathak, Mumbai under Sunder Prasad.[9] Later, she also trained under Ghulam Hussain Khan and Hanuman Prasad and learnt Bharat Natyam from Govindraj Pillai and Mahalingam Pilai.[10]
Kumari has performed in many places in India including a special performance at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan.[3] She has also performed in front of personalities such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Nikita Krushchev, Milton Obote, Hussein of Jordan and the King of Nepal.[8] In 1971, she founded the Nritya Kala Kendra, at Bandra in Mumbai where she tutored several students.[3] Muktha Joshi, Aditi Bhagwat,[11] Nandita Puri,[12] Anonna Guha[13] and Shailla Aurora[14] are some of her notable students.
Kumari, who remains a spinster, lives in Mumbai.
Film career
In 1953, Bimal Roy invited Kumari to perform a Kathak number in his film, Parineeta.[15] The next year, she performed in Waris of Nitin Bose and a Hindi / Urdu bilingual, Mirza Ghalib, directed by Sohrab Modi.[16] Her next appearance was in Basant Bahar, a 1956 film by Raja Nawathe.[17] Satyajit Ray, the renowned Indian filmmaker used a dance sequence performed by her in his 1958 film, Jalsaghar.[18] In 1970, Films Division of the Government of India released a documentary[19] on the history and practice of Kathak which features performances by notable Kathak exponents like Damayanti Joshi, Uma Sharma, Sudarshan Dheer, and Shambhu Maharaj besides Roshan Kumari.[20] Later she also worked as a choreographer in Hindi feature films such as Gopi (1970 film), Lekin... (1990), Chaitali (1975) and Sardari Begum (1996).[1]
Awards and honours
Kumari received the Nritya Shiromani title from the Prayag Sangeet Samiti at the Twelfth All India Music Conference of 1963[3] and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1976.[5] A year later, Sur Singer Samsad awarded her the Nritya Vilas honour.[8] The Government of India honoured her with the civlian award of Padma Shri in 1984[6] and the Government of Bengal awarded her the Vishwa Unnyyan Samsad in 1989.[3] She received the Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar from the Government of Maharashtra in 1990 and the Man Patra honour from Kathak Kendra, Jaipur in 1993.[3] Kumari, an Emeritus fellow of the Government of India, is also a recipient of the All India Bhuwalka Award (2005) and the Hanumant Award (2008).[3]
Filmography
- Parineeta (1953) - actor
- Waris (1954) - actor
- Mirza Ghalib (1954) - actor
- Basant Bahar (1956) - actor
- Jalsaghar (1958) - actor
- Gopi (1970) - choreographer
- Lekin... (1990) - choreographer
- Chaitali (1975) - choreographer
- Sardari Begum (1996) - choreographer
See also
References
- 1 2 "Roshan Kumari IMDb". Roshan Kumari IMDb. 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ↑ Sangit Mahabharati (2011). Roshan Kumari - The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Music of India. Oxford University Press. p. 1161. ISBN 9780195650983.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "My Guru-Padmashree Dr. Roshan Kumariji". Muktha Joshi. 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ↑ "Kathak Institutions". Narthaki. 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- 1 2 "Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Awards)". Sangeet Natak Akademi. 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- 1 2 "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
- ↑ "Zohra Bai Ambala Wali (1918-90)". Cineplot. 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- 1 2 3 Elizabeth Sleeman (2001). "The International Who's Who of Women 2002". Psychology Press. p. 699. ISBN 9781857431223. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ↑ Sunil Kothari (1989). "Kathak, Indian Classical Dance Art". Abhinav Publications. ISBN 9788170172239. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ↑ "Zoom Info profile". Zoom Info. 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ↑ "Aditi Bhagwat". Aditi Bhagwat. 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ↑ "Nandita Puri Profile" (PDF). Maharashtra Foundation. 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ↑ "Anonna Guha". Anonna Guha. 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ↑ "One with Kathak". Harmony. 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ↑ "Parineeta". YouTube. 20 Mar 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ↑ "Roshan Kumari in Mirza Ghalib". YouTube. 14 Jul 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ↑ "Basanta Bahar - Bengali Movie". YouTube. 28 Apr 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ↑ "Roshan Kumari In Jalsaghar". YouTube. 20 Mar 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ↑ S. Sukhdev (Director) (1970). Kathak (1970) (35 mm). Films Division of India.
- ↑ "Kathak (Motion picture)". WorldCat. 2015. OCLC 78849651. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
Further reading
- Sangit Mahabharati (2011). Roshan Kumari - The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Music of India. Oxford University Press. p. 1161. ISBN 9780195650983.
External links
- S. Sukhdev (Producer and Director) (1970). Kathak (1970) (35 mm). Films Division of India.
Roshan Kumari at the Internet Movie Database