Celebrated danseuse Mrinalini Sarabhai dies at 97

The 97-year-old Padma Bhushan-recipient succumbed to an infection this morning

Celebrated danseuse and Padma Bhushan recipient Mrinalini Sarabhai (97) died on Thursday morning in Ahmedabad.  Wife of noted physicist and educationist Vikram Sarabhai, Mrinalini was admitted to a city hospital for old-age-related complications. According to sources, Mrinalini succumbed to an infection.

Mrinalini is survived by danseuse and activist daughter Mallika Sarabhai and son Kartikey Sarabhai, founder of city-based Centre for Environment Education (CEE). Announcing her mother's death in a Facebook post, Mallika said, "My mother just left for her eternal dance."

She was born into the renowned Swaminadhan family of Chennai with roots in Kerala. She was an exponent of Bharatanatyam and Kathakali.

A trained Bharatanatyam and Kathakali dancer, Mrinalini was educated at Shantiniketan under the guidance of Rabindranath Tagore. Later, apart from dancing, Mrinalini also took to poetry, writing and environmental activism. 

After a brief stint with the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Mrinalini returned to India and began training in Bharatanatyam. She married physicist Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India's space programme, in 1942.