Shirin Vajifdar (1920-2017) was a profound Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She was among the first Parsis who brought a new wave of Indian classical dance. She was the most prominent dancer of Kathak and well respected in her field. She did choreography in a 1954 film Mayurpankh, an Indian film which was directed by Kishore Sahu. On 29 September 2017, Shirin Vajifdar died peacefully at the age of 96 in Mumbai.
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Wiki/Biography
Shirin Vajifdar was born in Bombay, Bombay Presidency (now in Maharashtra) in 1920. She was brought up in a Parsi orphanage. Shirin studied under the great maestro, Jaipur gharana maestro Sundar Prasadji and she later went for further dance training to Nrityalayam dance institution of Madame Menaka at Khandala. She learned Kathak there which is said to be one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. Along with that she also learned other dance forms like Manipuri and Kathakali. Rigidity in the mindsets of Parsi community for classical dancing could neve stop Shirin from her passion for dance. The daughter of Khurshid (Shirin Vajifdar’s sister) and niece of Shirin Vajifdar, Jeroo Chavda said-
In those years, it was very difficult to learn dance for young girls from the Parsi community whose parents were from the small town of Valsad. In the early 1930s it was inconceivable for a young girl from the Parsi community to take to classical dancing. There was no parental support. The girls were given free lodging and boarding and school education from a Parsi orphanage. It was inconceivable that with that background they dared to learn dance. Today’s young generation of dancers can never understand that there was stigma to learn dance, which is not the case today.”
Shirin Vajifdar- Jaipur gharana maestro Sundar Prasadji
Family
Shirin Vajifdar belonged to a Persian community in Bombay. She was brought up in a Parsi orphanage of Bombay.
Parents & Siblings
There is not much information about Shirin Vajifdar’s parents. Shirin Vajifdar had two younger sisters, Khurshid and Roshan. Shirin taught Kathak to her two sisters Khurshid and Roshan and later they both started performing together as the Vajifdar sisters. The conservative Parsis often used to threaten them to ruin their shows, but Shirin was courageous enough not to get afraid easily. She stood against it and became a renowned Indian classical dancer.
Shirin Vajifdar with her sisters- Khurshid (left), Shirin (middle) and Roshan (right) in a Marwadi Rajasthani folk dance.
Husband & Children
Shirin Vajifdar married in 1950. Mulk Raj Anand (1905-2004) was a prominent Indian writer. He was also the founder and editor of the quarterly magazine Marg. In 1938, Mulk Raj Anand married an English actress and communist Kathleen Van Gelder and had a daughter, Susheela. Later in 1948, both parted their ways after 10 years of being together. Shirin Vajifdar was his second wife and had no children.
Mulk Raj Anand – Shirin Vajifdar’s husband
Career
Shirin Vajifdar ran a dance academy in Cuffe Parade in Bombay by the name Nritya Manjari. With Krishna Kutty who was her Kathakali guru, she founded the Nritya Darpana Society as well. On Indian independence in 1947 she performed along with The Marwari Belles at Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay. In 1951, Shirin Vajifdar and her sisters, Khurshid and Roshan went to South East Asia to perform and promote Indian classical dance culture. Shirin Vajifdar also appeared on BBC Television in 1952. Later, In Mumbai, Shirin on her Kathakali teacher Krishnan Kutty’s troupe performed dance with mythical theme of Mohini Bhasmasura for which libretto was written by . She did choreography in a 1954 film Mayurpankh, an Indian film which was directed by Kishore Sahu. Her sisters, Roshan and Khurshid performed in the sequence sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle in the movie. The music was composed by Shankar and Jaikishan. In 1955, Shirin and Krishnan Kutty along with other dancers and musicians travelled together to China for the performance. Shirin Vajifdar gave dance tuitions to young girls from her community. Shirin Vajifdar took retirement from her profession in 1957. Later, she started writing reviews on dance for the Times of India as invited by the editor Shamlal.
Achievements
The film Mayurpankh, which was choreographed by Shirin Vajifdar was sent to the Cannes Film Festival and was awarded the Grand Prize.
Death
Shirin Vajifdar died peacefully on 29 September 2017 at the age of 96.
Favourites
Shirin was deeply intrigued by her favourite dancers like Indrani Rahaman who was her close friend as well. She was very fond of the Jhaveri Sisters. Along with that she was much interested in traditional gurus Mahalimgam Pillai, Govind Raj Pillai and Kalyasndaram Pillai.
Facts/Trivia
- In her time, there was no trend of video shooting of dance performances. Thus, there are no recordings of Shirin dancing. Films Division had made a single documentary of her Bharatnatyam dance performance, which later they lost.
- Shirin’s one sister, Khurshid married the renowned painter Shiavax Chavda and the other, Roshan married Hiranmay Ghosh, a chiropractor.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn