Indrani Rahman

Indrani Rahman (September 19, 1930, Chennai – February 5, 1999, New York) was an Indian classical dancer, of Bharata Natyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali and Odissi, which she popularized in the west, and later settled in New York in 1976.

In 1952, she won the first Miss India pageant. Later, she joined her mother Ragini Devi's company. She popularized the Indian classical dance form, Odissi during her international tours. Indrani had received the Padma Shri in 1969 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the performing arts and also the Taraknath Das Award.

Early life

Indrani Rahman was born in Chennai, (then Madras) to Ramalal Balram Bajpai (1880–1962), an Indian nationalist and president of the Indo-American League, and Esther Luella Sherman born in Petoskey, Michigan in 1893,^[1] (died 1982),^[2] who changed her name to 'Ragini Devi', once the couple moved to India, in the 1920s,^[3] when Ramlal Bajpai, a chemist turned successful importer in US, returned to India and later remained Asst. Editor to the Young India magazine, published by Lala Lajpat Rai; after Independence of India, he became the Consulate General of India at New York.^[4] Ragini on her part became renowned all over the world for her role in revival of Indian classical dance in the 1930s,^[5] especially Kathakali, after her fateful encounter with the great rajadasi, Jetti Tayamma in Karnataka, from whom she started learning Bharata Natyam, and also from Gauri Amma of Chennai.^[6][7][8]

Indrani Rehman after being crowned Miss India 1952, with Indian Congress leader S.K. Patil, and two of the sponsors of the contest

Indrani Rehman (third from left) and the runner-up Miss Suryakumari (sixth from left) with Miss India 1952 participants

Career

Indrani started learning dance in her mother’s company, at age nine, and accompanied her as she travelled through, Americas, and Europe. Professionally, she first started with Bharata Natyam, having learnt the Pandanallur style of Bharata Natyam from Guru Chokkalingam Pillai (1893–1968) in the 1940s. Soon she was in Vijaywada, learning Kuchipudi from Korada Narsimha Rao with whom she later toured many parts of the world.^[9]

In 1947, Indrani attracted the attention of India's leading dance and art critic Dr. Charles Fabri, who later encouraged her to go to Orissa and learn the little-known classical dance form of Odissi, making her the first professional dancer to learn Odissi. After learning Odissi for three years, from Guru Sri Deba Prasad Das, she went on to popularize it, through performance in various parts of India and the world.^[10][11]

In 1952, already married, and with a child, she became the first Miss India,^[12][13] and went on to compete in the Miss Universe 1952 Pageant, held at Long Beach, California.^[14] Soon, she was travelling along with her mother and performing all over the world.^[15] In 1961, she was the first dancer presented on a national tour by the Asia Society, and also performed for US President John F. Kennedy and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, during Nehru's official visit to Washington, D.C.,^[5] and in the following years she also performed for Emperor Haile Selassie, Queen Elizabeth II, Mao Zedong, Nikita Khrushchev, and Fidel Castro.^[3][16] In 1976 she became a faculty member of the dance division at the Juilliard School at New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, taught in various American universities, including Harvard, and spent her remaining two decades in the United States, touring extensively.

Personal life

She married Habib Rahman (1915–1995), a well-known architect, in 1945, the couple had a son, artist, Ram Rahman, and a daughter, Sukanya Rahman (Wicks),^[17] who also danced with her mother and grandmother. Her grandsons are Wardreath Wicks and Habib Wicks.

Death

Indrani Rahman died on February 5, 1999 in Manhattan, New York.

Awards

• 1952: Femina Miss India
• 1969: Padma Shri^[18]
• 1981: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award^[19]

Further reading

• Dancing In The Family, by Sukanya Rahman. 2001, Harper Collins India, ISBN 81-7223-438-4.
• Dance dialects of India, by Ragini Devi. Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1990. ISBN 81-208-0674-3, ISBN 978-81-208-0674-0.

References

1. ↑ Ragini Devi Biography Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century, by Susan Ware, Stacy Lorraine Braukman, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Harvard University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-674-01488-X, 9780674014886. Page 172-173.
2. ↑ Book Review South Asian Women Forum
3. 1 2 Obituary: Indrani Rehman by Kuldip Singh, The Independent (London), Feb 18, 1999
4. ↑ Ramalal Balram Bajpai - Biography
5. 1 2 Indrani, Performer of Classical Indian Dance, Dies at 68 New York Times, February 8, 1999.
6. ↑ Rhythm of the new millennium Leela Venkatraman, The Hindu, Oct 28, 2001.
7. ↑ Dancing through their lives The Hindu, September 22, 2002.
8. ↑ HINDU DANCES PRESENTED; Ragini Devi Seen in Theatre of All Nations Performance New York Times, December 9, 1944.
9. ↑ Indrani Rahman Kuchipudi: Kūcipūdi : Indian Classical Dance Art, by Sunil Kothari, Avinash Pasricha. Abhinav Publications, 2001. ISBN 81-7017-359-0, ISBN 978-81-7017-359-5. 190.
10. ↑ Indrani Rahman India's Dances: Their History, Technique, and Repertoire, by Reginald Massey. Abhinav Publications, 2004. ISBN 81-7017-434-1. page 210.
11. ↑ Guests Stuttgart - Bharatiya Mujlis.
12. ↑ MISS INDIA' IS PICKED; Architect's Wife Wins Boycotted Beauty Contest's Final New York Times, April 4, 1952.
13. ↑ Indian Press Hails National Beauty Contest Won by Shapely Half-American in Her Sari New York Times, April 5, 1952.
14. ↑ Miss India at the Wayback Machine (archived October 26, 2009)
15. ↑ Indrani Rahman National Library of Australia.
16. ↑ In Remembrance Indian Express, April 15, 1999.
17. ↑ Sukanya Rahman Website
18. ↑ Padma Shri - Indrani Rahman Padma Shri Official listing at Govt. of India website.
19. ↑ Sangeet Natak Akademi Award – “Bharata Natyam Sangeet Natak Akademi Award official listing.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Indrani Rahman.

• Archival footage of Indrani Rahman performing in Tarangam in 1979 at Jacob's Pillow.
• Photo feature on Indrani and Habib Rahman at Ram Rahman website