Sumitra Charat Ram | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1914-11-17)17 November 1914 |
| Died | 8 August 2011(2011-08-08) (aged 96) |
| Known for | FounderShriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra (established 1952) |
Sumitra Charat Ram (17 November 1914 – 8 August 2011) was a noted Indianarts patron,impresario and the founder ofShriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra (SBKK) established in 1952. She played a key role in the revival of performing arts, especiallyKathak, in the post-independence era, for which she received aPadma Shri Award.[1]
She was the wife of industrialist Lala Charat Ram ofDCM Shriram Group.
She was born onDiwali day in 1917 to Raja Jwala Prasad and Rani Bhagyawati in Meerut inUnited Provinces, now inUttar Pradesh. Her father was the Chief Engineer of Canals and Irrigation of United Province (U.P). She was the youngest of her five siblings: brothersDharam Vira, Kanti Vira and Satya Vira, and sisters Yashoda and Sushila.[2]
He elder brotherDharma Vira (1906–2000) joinedICS (1906–2000) and wasCabinet Secretary of theGovernment of India, as well as a governor ofPunjab, West Bengal andKarnataka.
After her marriage to Lala Charat Ram, son ofLala Shri Ram, she gradually became an art patron. In 1947, upon the suggestion ofRavi Shankar, she took a loan of Rs. 10,000 from her father-in-law, and started the Jhankar Committee in Delhi. At the turn of theindependence of India,princely states were abolished, which also left a large of number of musicians and dancers without patronage. Thus in the coming years, Jhankar provided patronage to leading musicians and artists of the time by organising musical concerts and dance performances. This includedSiddheshwari Devi, Ravi Shankar,Hafiz Ali Khan, BabaAllaudin Khan,Shambhu Maharaj, Sunder Prasad,Birju Maharaj,Durga Lal andAminuddin Dagar.[2][3]
She went on to establishShriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, a performing arts and music school in 1952, where noted gurus of the time were teachers,[3] with noted classical singer Nilina Ripjit Singh, later known asNaina Devi, acting as its director.[4][5] Throughout the 1950s, SBKK remained a focal point for the top dancers and musicians of the period, especially among leading gurus of Kathakgharanas, and Delhi became a centre of cultural revival as well new creative bursts in performing arts.[6] TheNational Institute of Kathak Dance or Kathak Kendra was originally established as theKathak wing of the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra in 1955, and was later taken over by theSangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama in 1964.[7]
In February 2011, the first 'Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Lifetime Achievement' established by Shri Ram Bhartiya Kala Kendra was awarded to PanditBirju Maharaj .[8]
For her contributions to the arts, in 1966, she was awarded thePadma Shri Award, fourth highest civilian honours, byGovernment of India.[1]
Her husband Charat Ram built companies like Shriram Pistons, Jay Engineering, Usha International and Shriram Industrial Enterprises Ltd. (SIEL). He died on 16 May 2007, at the age of 89, survived by his sons Deepak and Siddharth, and daughters Shobha and Gauri.[9] Her father-in-lawLala Shri Ram had established educational institutions likeLady Shri Ram College (established 1956),Shri Ram College of Commerce (established 1926).Shri Ram School in Delhi, was founded byManju Bharat Ram, wife of ArunBharat Ram, Lala Bharat Ram's son.[9]
She died on 8 August 2011 in New Delhi, after a brief illness at the age of 96. She was survived by her centenarian sister Sushila, and her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.[3] Her daughter,Shobha Deepak Singh, continues to run Bhartiya Kala Kendra.[10]
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