Google Doodle celebrates 97th birth anniversary of Nritya Samragini Sitara Devi

Search engine giant Google Doodle is celebrating the 97th birth anniversary of Nritya Samragini Sitara Devi on 8th November, Wednesday. The doodle shows the Kathak legend in a pink costume striking a pose at the centre of the graphic. The instruments like tinkerbells, Tabla, Sitar are lined behind her in the form of alphabets of the word ‘Google’. The classical dancer was born in 1920 in a Brahmin family from Varanasi living in Kolkata.

Her father Sukhadev Maharaj was a school teacher but practised and performed Kathak, as well. Sitara Devi started with solo performances at the tender age of 10.

When her family shifted to Bombay (now Mumbai), she gave a Kathak performance in the Atiya Begum Palace before a select audience, which included Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, freedom fighter Sarojini Naidu and Parsi philanthropist Sir Cowasji Jehangir.

At just 16, Sitara Devi enthralled her audience. So impressed was Tagore with her performance that he gave her the title "Nritya Samragini" (the empress of dance). Sitara Devi presented Kathak at international venues like the Royal Albert Hall, London, and Carnegie Hall, New York.

She has also been part of many Bollywood movies like "Usha Haran", "Nagina", "Roti", "Vatan", "Anjali" and "Mother India".  She has been a mentor to many Bollywood actresses and taught them Kathak. Madhubala, Rekha, Mala Sinha and Kajol are some of them.

A recipient of Padma Shri, Kalidas Samman, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Nritya Nipuna, Sitara Devi was also an accomplished dancer in many other styles including Bharatanatyam, folk dances of India, Russian ballet and other western forms. After a period of prolonged illness, the Kathak maestro breathed her last on November 25, 2014 at Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai.

(With IANS Inputs)Search engine giant Google Doodle is celebrating the 97th birth anniversary of Nritya Samragini Sitara Devi on 8th November, Wednesday. The doodle shows the Kathak legend in a pink costume striking a pose at the centre of the graphic. The instruments like tinkerbells, Tabla, Sitar are lined behind her in the form of alphabets of the word ‘Google’. The classical dancer was born in 1920 in a Brahmin family from Varanasi living in Kolkata.

Her father Sukhadev Maharaj was a school teacher but practised and performed Kathak, as well. Sitara Devi started with solo performances at the tender age of 10.

When her family shifted to Bombay (now Mumbai), she gave a Kathak performance in the Atiya Begum Palace before a select audience, which included Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, freedom fighter Sarojini Naidu and Parsi philanthropist Sir Cowasji Jehangir.

At just 16, Sitara Devi enthralled her audience. So impressed was Tagore with her performance that he gave her the title "Nritya Samragini" (the empress of dance). Sitara Devi presented Kathak at international venues like the Royal Albert Hall, London, and Carnegie Hall, New York.

She has also been part of many Bollywood movies like "Usha Haran", "Nagina", "Roti", "Vatan", "Anjali" and "Mother India".  She has been a mentor to many Bollywood actresses and taught them Kathak. Madhubala, Rekha, Mala Sinha and Kajol are some of them.

A recipient of Padma Shri, Kalidas Samman, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Nritya Nipuna, Sitara Devi was also an accomplished dancer in many other styles including Bharatanatyam, folk dances of India, Russian ballet and other western forms. After a period of prolonged illness, the Kathak maestro breathed her last on November 25, 2014 at Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai.

(With IANS Inputs)