Remembering #Rukminidevi on her birth anniversary. She is best known for her visionary work in the fields of dance, culture, and education that catalysed a renaissance in Indian classical dance forms. However, few know that this charismatic lady could have been India’s first female president had she accepted an offer by the then-prime minister in 1977.
About her dance : Rukmini embarked on a campaign to learn, practice and promote Bharatanatyam. She didn’t just want to revive a dying Indian dance form, she wanted to reverse the negative social stereotypes associated with it. At the time, Bharatanatyam was forbidden for most Indian girls.
In the following decades, Rukmini went on to become one of India’s most celebrated dancers as well as the foremost revivalist of Indian classical forms. In 1956, she was awarded the Padma Bhushan and in 1967, received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
In 1977, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed passed away before completing his term in office. The then-prime minister, Morarji Desai, asked Rukmini Devi if she would be president. She refused his offer and decided to continue her dance journey.
She was a great original, a woman of substance, as well as a rebellious spirit in her way.
Her contributions to Bharatanatyam and the other classical dances of India as they are known today are indisputable.
Let us spread the essence of Indian art together.
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