Shirin Vajifdar

Shirin Vajifdar (died 29 September 2017) was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer, instructor and critic. She was one of the first Parsis who took up Indian classical dance. A doyenne of Kathak, she was an acclaimed performer and teacher. Her choreography in the film Mayurpankh (1954) was lauded.

Shirin Vajifdar
Born
Bombay, Bombay Presidency
(now in Maharashtra)
Died(2017-09-29)29 September 2017
NationalityIndian
Occupations
  • Dancer
  • choreographer
  • instructor
  • critic
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1950; died 2004)​
Career
DancesKathak

Life

Shirin Vajifdar was born in Bombay, India. She had two younger sisters, Khurshid and Roshan.[1] They were brought up in an orphanage in Bombay.[2]

In the 1930s, defying the disapproval of her community, Vajifdar began to learn Kathak with Sunder Prasad, a teacher from the Jaipur Gharana.[3] She also attended the Nrityalayam dance academy run by Madame Menaka in Khandala, at the same time as Shevanti Bhonsale and Damayanti Joshi. Here she learned other forms of Indian dance: Manipuri and Kathakali.[1]

Vajifdar married Mulk Raj Anand in 1950. She was his second wife.[4]

Career

Vajifdar taught dance to Khurshid and Roshan,[5] with whom she began to perform as the Vajifdar sisters. They trained in all the major schools of Indian dance, including Bharatnatyam and Mohiniattam.[6]

The sisters were the first Parsis to perform Indian classical dance.[7] While conservatives in the Parsi community were opposed to them, she received support from others.[1]

The modernist dancer Ram Gopal was one of their instructors. Among the Vajifdars' contemporaries in performance were Mrinalini Sarabhai, Vyjayanthimala, and the Poovaiah sisters.[1]

Vajifdar ran a dance academy, Nritya Manjari, in Cuffe Parade in Bombay.[8][3] Along with Krishna Kutty, she founded the Nritya Darpana Society.[9]

On the eve of Indian independence in 1947, Vajifdar and her pupils, The Marwari Belles, performed at Bombay's Taj Mahal Hotel.[10]

In 1951, Vajifdar and her sisters toured South East Asia, performing and promoting Indian culture.[11]

There do not appear to be any extant recordings of Vajifdar's performances. The Films Division of India had made a film, but it was lost.[1] In 1952, she appeared on BBC Television.[12]

In 1954, Vajifdar choreographed a dance sequence in Kishore Sahu's film Mayurpankh. Roshan and Khurshid performed in the sequence.[5]

In 1955, she was part of a dance delegation to China.[13] She essayed the role of Mohini and Bhasmasura with Krishna Kutty,[1] to considerable acclaim.[14]

By 1957, Vajifdar had retired from performance. She then began to write reviews of dance for the Times of India.[1]

Selected publications
  • "'Menaka', Pioneer of Kathak Dance Drama". Marg – A Magazine of the Arts. XII (4). September 1959.

References
  1. Kothari, Sunil (3 October 2017). "Remembering Shirin Vajifdar – Pioneer in All Schools of Dance". The Wire. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  2. Singh, Nancy (1986). The Sugar in the Milk: the Parsis in India. Madras: Institute for Development Education. p. 39.
  3. Kothari, Sunil (1989). Kathak, Indian Classical Dance Art. Abhinav Publications. p. 182. ISBN 978-81-7017-223-9.
  4. Rutherford, Anna (1979). "Anand, Mulk Raj" (PDF). Commonwealth Literature. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-349-86101-9. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  5. Bharatan, Raju (1 August 2016). Asha Bhosle: A Musical Biography. Hay House, Inc. p. 283. ISBN 978-93-85827-16-7.
  6. Basu, Soma (19 July 2012). "Arc lights to oblivion". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  7. Haskell, Arnold Lionel (1960). The Ballet Annual. A. & C. Black. p. 111.
  8. Parsiana. Vol. 22. P. Warden. 1999. p. 158.
  9. Singha, Rina; Massey, Reginald (1967). Indian dances: their history and growth. Faber. p. 223. ISBN 9780807604274.
  10. Doctor, Vikram (9 August 2017). "Food for thought: India can take some feasting lessons from Italy". The Economic Times. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  11. "Dancers Due in S'pore". The Straits Times. 19 January 1951. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  12. "Shirin Vajifdar and Krishna Kutty in their New Indian Ballet". The Radio Times (1505): 45. 19 September 1952. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  13. The Indian Cultural Delegation in China, 1955. Foreign Languages Press. 1955. p. 60.
  14. Chinese Literature. Foreign Languages Press. 1956. pp. 162–163.
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