Sundari K. Shridharani | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1925-04-06)6 April 1925 |
| Died | 7 April 2012(2012-04-07) (aged 87) |
| Known for | Triveni Kala Sangam |
| Spouse | ram jee Tiwari |
Sundari K. Shridharani (6 April 1925 – 7 April 2012) was the founder and director ofTriveni Kala Sangam, a multi-arts institution, which she established in 1950.
Born inHyderabad, Sindh, in undivided India, Shridharani started learning dance while atSantiniketan, thereafter she joined theUday Shankar at Indian Cultural Centre, atAlmora, where she trained inKathakali under Guru Shankaran Namboodiri and inManipuri dance under Guru Amubi Singh. Subsequently, she joined Ginner Mawer School of Dance and Drama, London, where she learntGreek dance.[1][2] She marriedKrishnalal Shridharani (1911 – 1960), a poet, playwright and journalist.
In 1947, she performed at the first International Youth Festival in Prague, and in the 1950s, she received aFulbright Fellowship and also of theUniversity of California, Los Angeles, through which travelled across several universities in US, giving lecture-demonstrations of Indian dances.[1]
She moved to Delhi after her marriage, and in 1950 started Triveni Kal Sangam. It started in one room and terrace above a Coffee House inConnaught Place, Delhi, with two students under noted artist K. S. Kulkarni. Soon her efforts got noticed, andPandit Nehru allotted her the half acre land for the institution. Gradually, she organized a small group of people, started organizing concerts, and collecting funds. Finally construction began around 1957 and eventually on 3 March 1963, the present building was inaugurated.[3]
She lived within the premises of Triveni, and died on 7 April 2012 in New Delhi, aged 93.[4]
She was awarded thePadma Shri byGovernment of India in 1992,[5] in 2011 she was awarded theSangeet Natak Akademi Award for her overall contribution to the performing arts, which was awarded posthumously.[6]