Sitara Devi was the recipient of several awards and accolades, and performed at several prestigious venues in India and abroad; including the Royal Albert Hall, London and at the Carnegie Hall, New York.
19 Facts About Sitara Devi
2.
At a young age Devi met Rabindranath Tagore, who encouraged her to revive the lost Indian performing arts such as Kathak.
3.
Sitara Devi was born in Kolkata on 8 November 1920, that coincided in that year with the festival of Dhanteras, the eve of the Indian festival of Deepavali.
4.
Sitara Devi was named Dhanlakshmi, in honour of the goddess of good fortune who is worshiped on that day.
5.
Sitara Devi's father, Sukhdev Maharaj, was a Brahmin gentleman and a Vaishanavite scholar of Sanskrit, and earned his livelihood by teaching and performing the Kathak dance form.
6.
Sitara Devi's father developed a passion for classical dance and study in-depth Bharata Natyam and Natya Shastra and practiced and performed Kathak in which he excelled.
7.
Sitara Devi learnt dancing from her father, who established a school to teach dancing to children including his daughters and sons.
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Sitara Devi prevailed upon her teacher by showing her an impromptu dance performance.
9.
Dhanno was re-christened as Sitara Devi, and was entrusted with the care of her elder sister, Tara, and to impart her dancing lessons.
10.
Sitara Devi impressed Tagore who wanted her to give a special performance in Tata Palace.
11.
Sitara Devi's debut was at Jehangir Hall, then the centre of metro's cultural life.
12.
When she was a twelve-year-old girl, Sitara Devi was recruited by Niranjan Sharma, a filmmaker and a dance director, and she gave dance sequences in some Hindi movies including her debut in Usha Haran 1940, Nagina 1951, Roti, Vatan 1938, Anjali 1957.
13.
Sitara Devi stopped performing dances in movies, as they were adversely affecting her study in the classical dance, Kathak.
14.
Sitara Devi converted to Islam in order to enter into this marriage.
15.
Sitara Devi received a number of awards, including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Padma Shree award and the Kalidas Samman award.
16.
Sitara Devi learned the Russian ballet, and other dances of the western world.
17.
Sitara Devi taught Kathak dancing to Bollywood celebrities such as Madhubala, Rekha, Mala Sinha, and Kajol.
18.
Sitara Devi envisioned formalizing her teaching, and planned to set up a Kathak training academy.
19.
Sitara Devi died on 25 November 2014, at Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai, after a prolonged illness.