Sucheta Bhide Chapekar (born 6 December 1948) is an Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She is an exponent of Bharatnatyam. She is the founder of "Kalavardhini", a trust supporting the teaching and propagation activities in classical dance, where she also teaches Bharatnatyam.[1] She has been a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2007).
Sucheta Bhide Chapekar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 December 1948 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Other names | Sucheta Bhide |
| Known for | Bharatnatyam |
| Awards | Sangeet Natak Akademi Award |
Born in 1948, Chapekar had her arangetram in 1963. She was trained under Acharya Parvati Kumar and K. P. Kittappa Pillai.[2] In the subsequent years, she performed at many local concerts, including one at the Madras Music Academy in 1974.[3] Post marriage, she moved to Pune. Encouraged by JRD Tata, who called her "blue-eyed beauty", she performed outside India for the first time in 1982. During the tour, she performed in London, Paris, and Rotterdam.[4] During the 1980s, she performed various concerts in her home state of Maharashtra. It was at this time, she realised that Bharatanatyam did not have a great following in the state. She then came up with the idea of mixing Marathi and Hindi songs in her concerts. This eventually led to the formation of "Nritya Ganga", a Bharatanatyam concert which has about 80 compositions, all based on Hindustani classical music.[4] Chapekar is the founder of "Kalavardhini", a charitable trust that supports the teaching and propagation activities in classical dance.[5]
In the year 2008, filmmaker Amrita Mahadik[6] directed Vyomagami,[7] a documentary on the life and work of Chapekar. As a part of Chapekar's 60th birthday celebration, Vyomagami[8] was produced by "Kalavardhini" and shown at Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, Pune, Maharashtra. Nrityatmika, a Marathi book penned by Chapekar was also released at the event graced by Padma Vibhushan Sonal Mansingh and other dignitaries.[9]
In the year 2018, to mark Chapekar's 70th birthday celebration, She was felicitated by Padma Shri Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar in the Parikrama[10] event that was graced by many dignitaries and Bharatanatyam stalwarts. During this event, Pandit Mangeshkar also released the English translation of Nrityatmika, translated by Bharatanatyam artiste Priti Gosar-Patil.
Chapekar is married and has a daughter named Arundhati Patwardhan, who is a trained dancer. In 2007, Chapekar was awarded with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for her contributions to classical dance.
References
edit- ^ "Dr. Smt. Sucheta Chapekar". Kalavardhini. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ "Dr. Sucheta Bhide Chapekar: 60th birthday celebrations at Pune". narthaki.com. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- ^ Sreevalsan, T K (21 March 2010). "Juicy ragamalika cocktail". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- ^ a b Paul, Debjani (15 June 2013). "Blue Eyed Girl". Indian Express. Pune. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ Vaid, Ridhi (9 July 2011). "In praise of rain". The Indian Express. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- ^ "A classic gathering - Indian Express".
- ^ "Vyomagami | Watch Documentaries Online | Promote Documentary Film".
- ^ "Vyomagami (2008) - IMDb". IMDb.
- ^ TNN,"Dance festival to mark Sucheta Chapekar's 60th birthday", Times of India, 26 November 2008
- ^ TNN,"Puneites were treated to Indian classical dance recitals", Times of India, 24 December 2018