Shirin Vajifdar

🪔 About

Shirin Vajifdar (1925 – September 29, 2017) was an eminent Indian classical dancer, choreographer, instructor, and critic, widely recognized as a doyenne of Kathak. Born in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, she was a pioneer among the Parsi community to embrace Indian classical dance, defying societal disapproval in the 1930s. Vajifdar began her Kathak training with Sunder Prasad, a teacher from the Jaipur Gharana. She furthered her studies at Madame Menaka's Nrityalayam dance academy in Khandala, where she also learned Manipuri and Kathakali. Along with her younger sisters, Khurshid and Roshan, whom she trained, Shirin performed extensively as the "Vajifdar Sisters." They were notable for being the first Parsis to perform Indian classical dance and for their training in multiple forms, including Bharatanatyam and Mohiniattam. In 1943, Vajifdar established her own dance academy, Nritya Manjari, in Cuffe Parade, Bombay. She also co-founded the Nritya Darpana Society with Krishna Kutty. Her career highlights include choreographing a dance sequence for the 1954 film "Mayurpankh," in which her sisters performed. In 1955, she was part of an Indian dance delegation to China and performed the mythological story of Mohini and Bhasmasura with Krishna Kutty. By 1957, Shirin Vajifdar retired from active performance and transitioned into a role as a dance critic, writing for The Times of India. She passed away in Mumbai at the age of 92.