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

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Death Cause: Stomach Infection
Husband: Vikram Sarabhai
Age: 97 Years

Mrinalini Sarabhai

Bio/Wiki
Other nameMrinalini Swaminathan (name before marriage)
Nickname(s)Amma [1]The Times Of India
ProfessionsDancer, Choreographer, Teacher, Writer, Activist
Known for • Being the first female dancer of Kathakali
Mrinalini Sarabhai in a dance pose
•Preserving South Indian Classical dance forms
Title earnedHigh 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 ColourGray
Hair ColourBlack
Career
Famous PerformancesManushya: (1958)

Shakuntala: (1971)

Mrinalini Sarabhai in a dance posture

Chandalika: (1977)

Ganga: (1985)

Mrinalini Sarabhai with her daughter, Malika Sarabhai performing 'Chandalika'
Awards• Veer Shrinkala

• Natya Kala Sikhamani (1960)

• Padma Shri (1965)

• Gold Medal by Mexican Government (1968)

• Gujarat’s first state award for dance (1969)
Mrinalini Sarabhai receiving an award

• 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)
Mrinalini Sarabhai receiving an award in 2014
• 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)
Google Doodle of Mrinalini Sarabhai to commemorate her on her 100th birth anniversary
Personal Life
Date of Birth11 May 1918 (Saturday)
BirthplaceSource 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 Death21 January 2016
Place of DeathAhmedabad
Age (at the time of death) 97 Years
Death CauseStomach Infection
Zodiac signTaurus
Signature
Signature of Mrinalini Sarabhai

Signature of Mrinalini Sarabhai

NationalityIndian
HometownAhmedabad
School•Dalcroze School, Switzerland (for 2 Years around 1930s)
•Shantiniketan, West Bengal
Mrinalini Sarabhai with Rabindranath Tagore in Shantiniketan
College/UniversityAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts, U. S.
CasteTamil Brahmin [5]citation
HobbiesDancing, Writing, Reading
Relationships & More
Marital StatusMarried
Marriage DateYear 1942
Family
Husband/SpouseVikram Sarabhai
A wedding picture of Vikram Sarabhai and his wife, Mrinalini Sarabhai
ChildrenSon- Kartikeya Sarabhai (Environmentalist, Educationalist)
Kartikeya Vikram Sarabhai
Daughter- Mallika Sarabhai
Mallika Sarabhai
ParentsMother- Ammu Swaminathan (Parliamentarian, Social and Indian Independence activist)
Mrinalini Sarabhai (left) with her mother, Ammu Swaminathan (center) and sister, Lakshmi Sehgal (right)

Father- Subbarama Swaminathan (Criminal lawyer, Indian Independence activist)
SiblingsBrother- 2

• Govind Swaminadhan (younger; lawyer)
Govind-Swaminadha-Mrinalini-Sarabhais-elder-brother

• Subbaram

Sister- Lakshmi Sahgal (elder; Doctor, Politician, Commander-in-chief of Azad Hind Fauj's 'Rani of Jhansi Regiment')
Lakshmi-Sahgal-sister-of-Mrinalini-Sarabhai

Mrinalini Sarabhai

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 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

    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

    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

    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.