Kapila Vatsyayan | |
|---|---|
 Vatsyayan in 2006 | |
| Born | (1928-12-25)25 December 1928 Delhi |
| Died | 16 September 2020(2020-09-16) (aged 91) |
| Alma mater | Delhi University University of Michigan Banaras Hindu University |
| Occupation(s) | scholar, art historian |
| Spouse | Sachchidananda Vatsyayan 'Agyeya' |
Kapila Vatsyayan (25 December 1928 – 16 September 2020) was a leading scholar ofIndian classical dance,art,architecture, and art history. She served as amember of parliament and bureaucrat in India, and also served as the founding director of theIndira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
In 1970, Vatsyayan received theSangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour conferred by theSangeet Natak Akademi, India's national academy for music, dance and drama; this was followed by theLalit Kala Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour in the fine arts conferred byLalit Kala Akademi, India's national academy for fine arts in 1995. In 2011, the Government of India bestowed upon her thePadma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour.
She was born in Delhi to Ram Lal and Satyawati Malik.[1] She earned an MA in English literature fromDelhi University.[2] Thereafter, she completed a second MA in Education at theUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a PhD at theBanaras Hindu University.
The poet and art criticKeshav Malik was her older brother, and she was married to the noted Hindi WriterS.H. Vatsyayan 'Ajneya' (1911–1987). They married in 1956 and separated in 1969.
Vatsyayan authored many books, includingThe Square and the Circle of Indian Arts (1997),Bharata: The Natya Sastra (1996), andMatralaksanam (1988).[3]
In 1987, she became the founder trustee and member secretary of theIndira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (Indira Kalakendra), India's premier arts organisation, inDelhi.[3][4] Thereafter, in 1993, she was made its academic director, a post she held until 2000, when she was retired by aBJP-led centre-right government.[5]
In 2005, when an Indian National Congress-led centre-left government returned to power, she was made the chairperson of the institution.[6] She also served as Secretary to the Government of India in theMinistry of Education, where she was responsible for the establishment of a large number of national institutions of higher education. She was the chairperson of the Asia Project at theIndia International Centre, New Delhi.[6]
She is known for her collaboration with great artists, such as legendaryKoodiyattam maestro GuruMani Madhava Chakyar (1899-1990) and played pivotal role in safeguarding the legacy of classical Indian art forms.
She was nominated as a member of the Upper House ofParliament of India, theRajya Sabha in 2006, though subsequently in March 2006, she resigned following anoffice of profit controversy.[7] In April 2007, she was renominated to the Rajya Sabha, with a term expiring in February 2012.[8]
Kapila Vatsyayan died on 16 September 2020, aged 92, at her home in New Delhi.[9][10]
Vatsyayan received theSangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 1970.[11] In the same year she was awarded a fellowship from theJohn D. Rockefeller 3rd Fund to survey cultural institutions and contemporary art developments in the United States and Indonesia. She was awarded the prestigiousJawaharlal Nehru Fellowship in 1975.[12]
In 1992 theAsian Cultural Council honoured her with the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Award for outstanding professional achievement and her significant contribution to the international understanding, practice, and study of dance and art history in India.[13]
In 1998, she received the "Outstanding Contribution to Dance Research" award, given byCongress on Research in Dance (CORD).[14]
In 2000, she was a recipient ofRajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award[15] and in 2011, she was awarded thePadma Vibhushan by the Government of India.[16]
