SSC
Kumudini Lakhia, founder of the Kadamb centre in Ahmedabad, is renowned for which dance form?
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Answer: Option D — Kathak
Detailed Solution
Explanation
Kumudini Lakhia (1930-2025) was one of the most important Kathak dancers and choreographers of India. She founded Kadamb, a centre for dance and music, in Ahmedabad in 1964, which has trained many leading Kathak dancers.
Kumudini Lakhia learnt Kathak from gurus of the Jaipur and Lucknow traditions, including Shambhu Maharaj. In the 1940s and 1950s, she performed with the famous dancer Ram Gopal in London and on international tours. She is best remembered for taking Kathak in new directions. Traditionally, Kathak was performed as a solo dance, focused on storytelling and on the court traditions of the Mughal and Nawabi period. Kumudini Lakhia created group choreographies, introduced contemporary themes and explored new ways of using space and movement, while keeping the technique of Kathak. She choreographed the famous dance "Dil Cheez Kya Hai" in the film "Umrao Jaan" (1981). Her well-known works include "Dhabkar", "Yugal" and "Atah Kim". Her students include Aditi Mangaldas and Daksha Sheth, who are also known for their creative work. She received the Padma Shri (1987), the Padma Bhushan (2010) and the Padma Vibhushan (2025).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Bharatanatyam is associated with dancers such as Rukmini Devi Arundale, Balasaraswati and Alarmel Valli.
- ✗Odissi is associated with dancers such as Kelucharan Mohapatra and Sanjukta Panigrahi.
- ✗Kathakali is associated with artists such as Kalamandalam Gopi and Guru Kunchu Kurup.
💡 Exam tip
Link Kumudini Lakhia with Kathak, Kadamb (Ahmedabad, 1964) and the choreography of "Umrao Jaan". Don't confuse Kadamb with Darpana, the Ahmedabad academy founded by Mrinalini Sarabhai.💬 Discussions on this question
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Art & Culture Personalities — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Art & Culture Personalities, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the people behind India's art and culture: classical and folk dancers, vocalists and instrumentalists, painters, sculptors, theatre and film personalities, and the gurus who founded or revived art forms. Questions also cover the art form each person is known for and the honours they have received. Exams typically name a person and ask for their art form, or name an art form and ask who popularised it. Recent Padma award winners from the arts appear often, so link each name to the field and state the award was given for. Since award lists change every year, always revise from the latest official list rather than relying on older notes. Practise the art and culture personalities questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.