Sundar Prasad

🪔 About

Pandit Sundar Prasad (c. 1891 – May 29, 1970) was a highly esteemed guru and performer of Indian classical dance, primarily recognized for his profound contributions to the Kathak dance form. Born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, he hailed from a distinguished family of Kathak exponents belonging to the Jaipur Gharana. His father, Pandit Chunnilal, was a prominent dancer, and his elder brother was Pandit Jailal Misra, a revered figure of the Jaipur Gharana. Sundar Prasad received his initial training in Kathak from his father, Pandit Chunnilal, and his uncle, Durga Prasad. He further honed his skills under the tutelage of Bindadin Maharaj of the Lucknow Gharana for 13 years, enabling him to master and integrate the intricacies of both the Jaipur and Lucknow styles, creating a unique synthesis in his performances and teaching. Sundar Prasad embarked on his professional dance career around the age of 20, performing extensively across India and showcasing the rhythmic complexity, intricate footwork (tatkar), and expressive storytelling characteristic of Kathak. In the 1930s, he established the Maharaj Bindadin School of Kathak in Bombay (now Mumbai), where he taught for approximately three decades. He later moved to Chennai before settling in Delhi in 1958, where he joined the Bharatiya Kala Kendra, which later became the Kathak Kendra. He continued to teach at this institution for the last 15 years of his life. His dedication to preserving and promoting Kathak earned him the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1959 for his lifelong contribution to the dance form. Sundar Prasad's teaching legacy is significant, having trained numerous students who went on to become notable Kathak exponents themselves. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1959).