Kadamb

Kumudini Lakhia is a senior Kathak dancer, choreographer, and teacher, regarded as one of the leading figures in modern Kathak. With a career spanning more than seventy years, she has played a major role in shaping the presentation and teaching of Kathak in the contemporary era.

After establishing herself as a solo performer, she founded the Kadamb Centre for Dance and Music in Ahmedabad in 1964. Through Kadamb, she focused on strengthening Kathak’s technique, vocabulary, and repertoire. She began creating choreographic works in 1973, training students through a disciplined and structured approach. Her choreography introduced innovative group compositions and explored new ways of presenting Kathak while remaining within the classical framework.

Kadamb’s performing company has toured internationally and received critical appreciation from audiences and scholars. Kumudini Lakhia has also delivered lectures on creativity and performance in dance at universities in India, the United States, and Europe.

She has received several major honors, including the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Guru Acchan Maharaj Award, Sumitra Charat Ram Award, Gaurav Puraskar (Government of Gujarat), Kalidas Samman (Government of Madhya Pradesh), Tagore Ratna (Sangeet Natak Akademi), Sharang Dev Award (Mahagami Gurukul), Bhatkhande Puraskar (Lucknow), Nagar Bhushan (Ahmedabad), Bharat Muni Award (Nalanda Dance Research Centre, Mumbai), and the Hanumant Award from Morari Bapu, among others.

In addition to performing and teaching, she has served in important cultural roles. She has been vice president of the Conseil International de la Danse in Paris, a member of the executive board of the Sangeet Natak Akademi in New Delhi, chairperson of the Gujarat State Sangeet Natak Akademi, and a member of the executive committee of the Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai. She has also taught as a visiting professor in the United States. She continues to be associated with Kadamb as its artistic director.

Her contribution is widely acknowledged for influencing how Kathak is taught, choreographed, and presented today.