The Founder President – Late Guru Dr. Sadhana Nafde
Sadhanatai, as she is fondly known by all, began her tryst with Indian traditional art forms at an early age. All this while doing teaching dance at Gwalior’s Padma Vidyalaya.
She began with Kathak under the tutelage of a disciple of the Late Lachhu Maharaj – the Late Bapusaheb Shinde – and with the blessings of Pandit Birju Maharaj. She was also trained by Girijadevi Homble in Bharatnatyam and Jaichandbabu in Manipuri.
After graduating in music from Gwalior’s Jiwaji University, Sadhanatai went on to complete her masters’ degree in Marathi. However, Sadhanatai’s love for Kathak led her to pursue her second masters’ degree in Kathak from the renowned Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya in Khairagarh.
Sadhanatai – A Keen Performer
At the age of 12, Sadhanatai won applause and acclaim at her performance at the Kala Parishad’s All India Classical Dance Competition. Between 1960 and 1970, Sadhanatai performed regularly at New Delhi’s annual Republic Day functions and at the Kalidas Samaroha in Ujjain.
All this while doing teaching dance at Gwalior’s Padma Vidyalaya.
Nirzar Kala Sansthan’s seeds were sown in 1982, when she had to step away from active participation in the arts for a while to raise her family. Soon enough, the effort that went into Nirzar was recognized by Mumbai’s Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal.
She has since been an honoured External Examiner and paper setter for the institution, Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya and her alma mater Jiwaji Vishwavidyalaya, Gwalior.
Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya also invited Sadhanatai to become a co-ordinator for a syllabus change to fit UGC norms. She headed a panel of syllabus for the course of dance in Kavi Kulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit Vidyapeeth.
Sadhanatai was awarded her doctorate in dance for her topic `Kathak me Madura Bhakti evam Prayukta Geet Prakar’ by Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj Nagpur University.
