Indrani Devi

🪔 About

Indrani Rahman (née Bajpai), born on September 19, 1930, in Chennai (then Madras), British India, was an acclaimed Indian classical dancer, choreographer, and educator. Her mother was the American-born dancer Ragini Devi, a pioneer in the revival of classical Indian dance, and her father was Ramalal Balram Bajpai, a freedom fighter and the first President of the India League of America. Indrani began dancing at age five, performing with her mother, and formally trained from age nine. She received extensive training in multiple classical Indian dance forms. She studied the Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam under Guru Chokkalingam Pillai, Kuchipudi from Korada Narsimha Rao, and Mohini Attam from Chinnammu Amma. Notably, she was the first professional dancer to learn and popularize Odissi, training for three years with Guru Sri Deba Prasad Das. In 1952, she achieved national recognition by becoming the first Miss India and subsequently represented India in the inaugural Miss Universe pageant. Indrani Rahman's career involved extensive international tours, where she performed as a soloist and with her ensemble, often serving as an official Indian Government cultural ambassador. She danced for numerous world leaders, including President John F. Kennedy and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. She settled in New York City in 1976. In 1976, she joined the faculty of the Juilliard School in New York, where she taught for 15 years and became the first Indian dancer on its roster. She also held teaching positions at Harvard and New York Universities and Brooklyn College. Indrani Rahman passed away on February 5, 1999, in New York City at the age of 68. Awards & Honours: Padma Shri (1969), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1981), Taraknath Das Award.