UpdateBot at 15:43, 19 June 2022

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{{Short description|Indian classical dancer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = M. K. Saroja
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| birth_name = Madras Kadiravelu Saroja
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1931|4|7}}
| birth_place = [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| restingplace =
| restingplacecoordinates =
| othername =
| occupation = Dancer
| yearsactive =
| spouse = Mohan Khokar
| domesticpartner =
| children = Hariharan Nandan Ashish Vivek
| parents =
| website =
| awards = [[Padma Shri]] [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] [[Kalaimamani Award]] Life Time Achievement Award E. Krishna Iyer Medal Natya Kalanidhi Tagore Akademi Ratna Award
}}
'''Madras Kadiravelu Saroja''', is an Indian classical dancer, known for her expertise, as an exponent and as a teacher, in the classical dance form of [[Bharatanatyam]]. The [[Government of India]] honored her, in 2011, with the [[Padma Shri]], the fourth highest civilian award, for her services to the field of art and culture.<ref name="Padma">{{cite web | url=http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=69364 | title=Padma | publisher=Government of India | date=25 January 2011 | access-date=21 August 2014}}</ref>

==Biography==
{{quotebox|align = right|width=20em|Bharata Natyam (Tamil: பரதநாட்டியம்) also spelled Bharatanatyam, is a classical Indian dance form that originated in the temples of Tamil Nadu. Today, it is one of the most popular and widely performed dance styles and is practiced by male and female dancers all over the world.}}
{{quotebox|align = left|width=10em|"She is a saintly person, never given to publicity and hype", says noted classical dancer, [[Padma Subrahmanyam]]<ref name="The Hindu write up">{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/mk-saroja-a-model-for-younger-generation/article1302753.ece | title=M.K. Saroja, a model for younger generation | work=The Hindu | date=28 July 2008 | access-date=21 August 2014 | author=Staff Reporter}}</ref>}}
M. K. Saroja was born on 7 April 1931 at [[Chennai]] (erstwhile Madras), in the Indian state of [[Tamil Nadu]]. She started learning classical dance when she was five years old, along with her sister, under the tutelage of Muthukumaran Pillai,<ref name="The Hindu write up" /> a known classical dance teacher and reportedly, the first dance teacher at [[Rukmini Devi Arundale]]'s [[Kalakshetra]], who taught many renowned classical dancers such as [[Mrinalini Sarabhai]] and [[Kamala Laxman]]. The young Saroja followed the master when he moved to Bangalore to join the ''Bangalore Studio'', in Bangalore.<ref name="Narthaki Bio">{{cite web | url=http://www.narthaki.com/info/tdhc/tdhc17.html | title=Narthaki Bio | publisher=Narthaki.com | date=28 March 2010 | access-date=19 August 2014}}</ref>

Saroja made her debut in 1940 and soon became a known dancer. In 1946, she was offered a movie contract by [[Gemini Studios]], in Chennai which she turned down. Three years later, in December 1949, she married Mohan Khokar,<ref name="The Hindu write up" /> renowned art historian and dance scholar<ref name="Mohan Khokar">{{cite web | url=http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/steps-in-time/ | title=Mohan Khokar | work=The New Indian Express | date=21 July 2011 | access-date=21 August 2014 | author=Suanshu Khurana}}</ref><ref name="Mohan Khokar Dance Archives">{{cite web | url=http://www.dancearchivesofindia.com/mtrl.htm | title=Mohan Khokar Dance Archives | publisher=Dance Archives of India | date=2000 | access-date=21 August 2014}}</ref> and a co-student at [[Kalakshetra]] and followed her husband to [[Baroda]] when he was posted there as the Head of Department of Dance, [[Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda|Maharaja Sayajirao University]].<ref name="Narthaki Bio" /> In Baroda, Saroja learnt [[Kathak]] from Sundarlal and Kundanlal Gangani, noted Kathak gurus.

In 1961, Mohan Khokar was posted as the Special Officer for dance at the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]] and the couple moved to New Delhi. There, she resumed teaching and continued with dance performances and had the opportunity to perform at the [[Rashtrapati Bhavan]], in front of the visiting Saudi Arabian ruler. From 1970 onwards, she started visiting the ''Centre Mandapa'' in Paris, for teaching students there which she continued till the year 2000.<ref name="Narthaki Bio" />

M. K. Saroja retired from professional dance, after 40 active years, in 2000, following the death of her husband.<ref name="Narthaki Bio" /> She has four sons of which the third son, Ashish Mohan Khokar is a known art historian, author and dance critic.<ref name="Ashish Mohan Khokar">{{cite web | url=http://www.attendance-india.com/ashish.htm | title=Ashish Mohan Khokar | publisher=Attendance-India | work=Web article | date=2013 | access-date=21 August 2014}}</ref> She currently lives in Chennai.<ref name="Narthaki Bio" />

==Legacy==
{{quotebox|align = right|width=10em|"M. K. Saroja's art is that of the devotee. She has absolute 'bhakti' residing in her...", opines Leela Samson, Director of [[Kalakshetra]]<ref name="The Hindu write up" />}}
The legacy of M. K. Saroja remains the purity she brought into the bharatanatyam and lives through the numerous students she has tutored to fame such as Nargis Katpitia, Pratibha Pandit, Sudha Patel, Laxmi Valrani, [[Indrani Rehman]], [[Yamini Krishnamurthy]], Romana Agnel,<ref name="Romana Agnel">{{cite web | url=http://body.art.pl/conference/conference-participants.html | title=Romana Agnel | publisher=Festival of Anthropology of Dance | date=2012 | access-date=21 August 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826121905/http://body.art.pl/conference/conference-participants.html | archive-date=26 August 2014 }}</ref> Shobana Radhakrishna, Rasika Khanna, Arup Ghosh, Lucia Maloney, Milena Salvini and Vidya. The last two dancers still teaches at the ''Centre Mandapa'', Paris.

Two documentary films have been made on M. K. Saroja, one by the Department of Theatre, University of Rome and another one by Claude Lamorrise.<ref name="Narthaki Bio" />

==Awards and recognitions==
* [[Padma Shri]] - [[Government of India]] - 2011<ref name="Padma" />
* [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna]] - 2011<ref name="Tagore Akademi Ratna">{{cite web|url=http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/tagoreawards.htm |title=Tagore Akademi Ratna |publisher=Sangeet Natak Akademi |date=2011 |access-date=21 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707094419/http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/tagoreawards.htm |archive-date=7 July 2014 }}</ref>
* [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] - 1995
* [[Kalaimamani Award]] - Tamil Nadu State Eyal Isai Nataka Manram<ref name="Kalaimamani The Hindu">{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/2000/12/15/stories/0915033p.htm | archive-url=https://archive.today/20140822025643/http://www.thehindu.com/2000/12/15/stories/0915033p.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=22 August 2014 | title=Award for Dancer | date=15 December 2000 | work=[[The Hindu]] | access-date=22 August 2014}}</ref><ref name="E. Krishna Iyer Medal" />
* Natya Kalanidhi - Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India - 2007<ref name="Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India">{{cite web | url=http://www.kutcheris.com/article.php?id=1371 | title=Natya Kalanidhi 2 | publisher=Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India | access-date=21 August 2014}}</ref><ref name="Natya Kalanidhi 1">{{cite web | url=http://www.lakshmansruthi.com/news/november2011/natya-kalanidhi-m-k-saroja%20.asp | title=Natya Kalanidhi 1 | publisher=Lakshmanasruthi.com | date=2007 | access-date=21 August 2014}}</ref>
* Life Time Achievement Award - <ref name="Life Time Achievement award">{{cite web | url=http://ww.merinews.com/bigImage.do?method=TagBrief&imageID=5122&tags=bharatnatyam%20dancer&tagIndex=2 | title=Life Time Achievement award | publisher=Merrinews | access-date=21 August 2014}}</ref>
* E. Krishna Iyer Medal - Sruthi Foundation - 2000<ref name="E. Krishna Iyer Medal">{{cite web | url=http://www.kutcheribuzz.com/news/20001117/saroja.asp | title=E. Krishna Iyer Medal | publisher=Sruthi Foundation | access-date=21 August 2014}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|India}}
* [[Kalakshetra]]
* [[Rukmini Devi Arundale]]
* [[Yamini Krishnamurthy]]
* [[Indrani Rehman]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | url=http://www.worldcat.org/title/bharatanatyam-bhakta-guru-m-k-saroja/oclc/426846573 | title=Bharatanatyam Bhakta Guru M. K. Saroja | publisher=Printways | author=Padma Subramanyam | year=2008 | location=Delhi | pages=211 | isbn=9788186773802}}
* {{cite book | url=http://www.sruti.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=411 | title=Two doyens of classical dance: M.K. Saroja and Kanak Rele | publisher=Sruti Foundation | year=April 2014}}

==External links==
* [http://www.narthaki.com/info/profiles/profil57.html Profile on Narthaki.com]

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saroja, M. K.}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]
[[Category:Performers of Indian classical dance]]
[[Category:Artists from Chennai]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Kalaimamani Award]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]
[[Category:Indian female classical dancers]]
[[Category:Indian dance teachers]]
[[Category:Teachers of Indian classical dance]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian dancers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women artists]]
[[Category:Dancers from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Women educators from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:Women artists from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Educators from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:20th-century women educators]]

M. K. Saroja - Revision history

UpdateBot at 15:43, 19 June 2022