Mrinalini Sarabhai Age, Death, Husband, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Other name	Mrinalini Swaminathan (name before marriage)
Nickname(s)	Amma [1]The Times Of India
Professions	Dancer, Choreographer, Teacher, Writer, Activist
Known for	• Being the first female dancer of Kathakali •Preserving South Indian Classical dance forms
Title earned	High Priestess of Indian Classical Dance [2]Financial Express
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 163 cm in meters- 1.63 m in feet & inches- 5’ 4”
Eye Colour	Gray
Hair Colour	Black
Career
Famous Performances	•Manushya: (1958) •Shakuntala: (1971) •Chandalika: (1977) •Ganga: (1985)
Awards	• Veer Shrinkala • Natya Kala Sikhamani (1960) • Padma Shri (1965) • Gold Medal by Mexican Government (1968) • Gujarat’s first state award for dance (1969) • Vishwa Gurjari award (1984) • Padma Bhushan (1992) • Honoured with the Scroll of Honour by the Vice-President of India (1995) • Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1994) • Nishagandhi Puraskaram (2013)
Honours	• D.Litt. degree (Rabindra Bharati University of Calcutta) (1979) • Desikottama (D.Litt. Honoris Causa) Vishva-Bharati University (1987) • Honor Summus Award by the Watumull Foundation, Honolulu (1991) • Kalidas Samman by Madhya Pradesh government (1996) • D.Litt.honoris causa by the University of East Anglia, UK (1997) • Google Doodle streamed on her 100th birthday (2018)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	11 May 1918 (Saturday)
Birthplace	Source 1: Madras, Madras Presidency, British India (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India) [3]The New York Times Source 2: Madras Presidency, British India (now Kerala, India) [4]The Indian Express
Date of Death	21 January 2016
Place of Death	Ahmedabad
Age (at the time of death)	97 Years
Death Cause	Stomach Infection
Zodiac sign	Taurus
Signature	Signature of Mrinalini Sarabhai
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Ahmedabad
School	•Dalcroze School, Switzerland (for 2 Years around 1930s) •Shantiniketan, West Bengal
College/University	American Academy of Dramatic Arts, U. S.
Caste	Tamil Brahmin [5]citation
Hobbies	Dancing, Writing, Reading
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	Year 1942
Family
Husband/Spouse	Vikram Sarabhai
Children	Son- Kartikeya Sarabhai (Environmentalist, Educationalist) Daughter- Mallika Sarabhai
Parents	Mother- Ammu Swaminathan (Parliamentarian, Social and Indian Independence activist) Father- Subbarama Swaminathan (Criminal lawyer, Indian Independence activist)
Siblings	Brother- 2 • Govind Swaminadhan (younger; lawyer) • Subbaram Sister- Lakshmi Sahgal (elder; Doctor, Politician, Commander-in-chief of Azad Hind Fauj's 'Rani of Jhansi Regiment')

Some Lesser Known Facts About Mrinalini Sarabhai

• Mrinalini is the first and only woman to have received the honour of Veera Sringhala in the Kathakali category.

• Kerala government’s first state award for dance (Nishagandhi Puraskaram) was given to Mrinalini Sarabhai in 2013.

• Her Kathakali Guru was Guru Kunchu Kurup and Bharatanatyam Guru was Meenakshisundaram Pillai.

• She was also a writer and has written various columns, books and blogs on her dance experiences, mythology, and environment. She wrote about the letters exchanged between Sarojini Naidu and Mahatma Gandhi.
  

  Mrinalini Sarabhai’s book on Bharatanatayam

• Mrinalini held the post of Chairperson in the Nehru Foundation for Development (NFD).

• She got herself trained in sound processing from America.

• A 2012 documentary was made on her life titled ‘The Artist and Her Art.’ It was made by her daughter, Mallika Sarabhai and Yadavan Chandran.
  

  A poster of ‘The Artist and Her Art,’ a documentary by Mrinalini Sarabhai

• Mrinalini Sarabhai also wrote an autobiography titled ‘Mrinalini Sarabhai: The Voice of the Heart.’

• She was featured on the Femina magazine’s cover page.
  

  Mrinalini Sarabhai featured in Femina magazine

• She also served the post of Chairperson in Gujarat State Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation.

• In 1994, Mrinalini Sarabhai became the first Indian to receive a diploma and medal from the French Archives Internationales de la Danse.

• In the 2022 web series ‘Rocket Science’ Regina Cassandra portrays the character of Mrinalini Sarabhai.
  

  Regina Cassandra in a still from Rocket Boys

• Mrinalini was a supporter of Gandhian ideals. She was also among the trustees of the Sarvodaya International Trust.

• In 1990, Mrinalini Sarabhai was a member (nominated) of the Executive Council of the International Dance Council.

• Mrinalini Sarabhai was also an environmentalist. She had created and choreographed many dance performances on this topic. Like ‘Aspirations’ which was a dance drama about the destruction of Kerala’s Silent Valley Rainforests.