Special Correspondent
An extraordinary journey from Bharatanatyam to Kathak
Veteran Kathak dancer-guru Rohini Bhate died in Pune on Friday after a prolonged illness. She was 84.
Born in Patna in 1924, Rohini Bhate was among the senior most Kathak exponents of the country and a Fellow of Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Initially trained in Bharatanatyam under Guru Parvati Kumar, she later specialised in Kathak under the guidance of Pandit Lacchu Maharaj and Pandit Mohan Rao Kallianpurkar.
Innovative bent
A dancer, teacher and scholar par excellence, Rohini Bhate performed extensively for five decades and was held in high esteem by colleagues and critics alike. Her scholarship, her deep understanding of society and her innovative bent gave her choreographic work a unique touch.
Well versed in Hindustani music, which she learnt under Keshavrao Bhole and Vasantrao Deshpande, she often composed the music for her dance creations.
She authored several books in Marathi, including her autobiography, “Majhi Nrityasadhana”, a translation of the autobiography of Isadora Duncan, “Mi Isadora”, and an edited version of the Sanskrit manual Abhinaya Darpana called “Kathak Darpana Deepika”.
She was a recipient of Kalidas Samman and the Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar, besides the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1979. She was made Fellow of the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2006. Documentary films have been made on her work by eminent producers.
She served on the committee of Khairagarh University and guided the preparation of syllabi for Kathak courses at Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune, where she served as Visiting Lecturer and Guru.
Profound approach
Rohini Bhate founded the Nrityabharati Kathak Dance Academy at Pune in 1947. Besides training a large number of disciples, she enriched the Kathak fraternity, through example and precept, with her profound and scholarly approach to the art.
A condolence meeting was held at Kathak Kendra in New Delhi on Friday evening. Kathak Kendra director D. Dasgupta read out a condolence resolution. The meeting was attended by Kendra staff and artistes among others.
Gobind Chakravarty, Rajendra Gangani and Nisha Mahajan spoke about the rich contribution of Guru Rohini Bhate to the art world.
Published - October 11, 2008 12:00 am IST
