Smt. Suchitra Mitra

🪔 About

Smt. Suchitra Mitra is a renowned Indian classical dancer, teacher, and choreographer specializing in Bharatanatyam. Hailing from Assam, she began her classical dance journey as a star pupil at Kalakshetra, Chennai, where she completed a four-year diploma course in Bharatanatyam in just three years with a First Class, supported by an Indian Cultural Trust Scholarship. During her time at Kalakshetra, she received training from the legendary Rukmini Devi Arundale. She further honed her Bharatanatyam skills through personal training from stalwarts Padma Bhushan Padma Subrahmanyam and Padma Bhushan Kalanidhi Narayanan. Her foundational training also included tutelage under Guru Thankamuni Kutty, and she pursued prolonged training in Kathakali under Guru Govindan Kutty. After being settled in Kolkata, Suchitra Mitra relocated to Chandigarh in 1996, where she has dedicated over two decades to the promotion and teaching of Bharatanatyam. She is recognized as a Top Grade artist by Doordarshan and holds the distinction of being a renowned artist of the Sangeet Natak Academy, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), and North Zonal Cultural Centre. Mitra founded the Padam Institute, an academy dedicated to imparting Bharatanatyam training in Chandigarh. As a choreographer, she has created numerous grand stage performances, including creative renditions of Rabindranath Tagore's nritya-natyas and original full-length works such as 'Ritu Ranga,' 'Down the Valley of Seasons,' and 'Bhagavati Gange.' Her recent choreographic endeavors include a work based on the story of Banda Singh Bahadur. She has performed across India and internationally in countries like Japan, Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Nepal, and Canada. Awards & Honours: Uday Shankar Award, Shiromani Award, Felicitation by Chandigarh Administration for contribution to dance (2011), Felicitation by Chandigarh Administration for contribution to dance (2012).