{{Short description|Pakistani dancer and choreographer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Use Pakistani English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox person | name = Indu Mitha | spouse = Aboobaker Osman Mitha | children = Tehreema Mitha | parents = Gyanesh Chandra Chatterjee | relatives = Uma Anand (sister) }}
'''Indu Mitha''' (née Chatterjee) (born 1929) is a Pakistani exponent of Bharatnatyam<ref>{{cite news |title=The Raqs Revival dance extravaganza |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/680770/the-raqs-revival-dance-extravaganza |work=The Express Tribune |date=9 March 2014 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=From Bharatnatyam to Disco Deewane |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/850388/from-bharatnatyam-to-disco-deewane |work=The Express Tribune |date=9 March 2015 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |last1=Aslam |first1=Feriyal Amal |title=Choreographing [in] Pakistan: Indu Mitha, Dancing Occluded histories in "The Land of the Pure" |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8km963tz |publisher=UCLA |language=en |date=2012}}</ref> and one of only two{{Clarify|date=November 2020}} in the nation (the other being Sheema Kirmani).<ref name="hindu">{{cite news | url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/Bharatanatyam-in-the-time-of-the-Taliban/article16583554.ece | title= Bharatanatyam in the time of the Taliban | date=23 June 2009 | first=Nirupama | last=Subramanian | newspaper=The Hindu | accessdate=6 July 2020 }}</ref> She also remained a faculty member at the Rawalpindi campus of the National College of the Arts, from which she has retired.<ref>[http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=104680 NCA’s ‘Spotlight’ to feature Indu Mitha] The News, Pakistan - 3 April 2008</ref>
== Early life == Indu Mitha was born in Lahore in 1929 as Indu Chatterjee, into a Bengali Christian family of Brahmin heritage that had converted to Christianity. She studied MA philosophy from Delhi University in 1951.<ref>{{cite news |title=Indu Mitha's 90th birthday celebration was an evening of storytelling {{!}} Art & Culture {{!}} thenews.com.pk |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/631943-the-maestro-and-her-daughter |work=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}</ref> Her father, Gyanesh Chandra Chatterjee, was a professor of philosophy and president of the Government College in Lahore, which was where Mitha grew up.<ref>Tikekar 337</ref> Her elder sister Uma Anand married famous Bollywood director Chetan Anand.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mitha |first=Indu |title=In Memory of my Guru, Zohra Ji- by Indu Mitha. - Tehreema Mitha Dance Company |url=http://tmdancecompany.org/blog/in-memory-of-my-guru-zohra-ji-by-indu-mitha/ |access-date=2018-03-25 |work=Tehreema Mitha Dance Company |language=en-us}}</ref> Her family moved to Delhi from Lahore during the Partition of India. In Delhi, she learned Bharatanatyam from Vijay Raghava Rao and Shrimati Lalita.<ref name="dawn">[https://www.dawn.com/news/296584/dance-is-thought-and-feeling-says-indu-mitha Dance is thought and feeling, says Indu Mitha] DAWN - 4 April 2008</ref> Mitha learnt modern expressional dance from the iconic choreographer and actress Zohra Sehgal.<ref>{{cite news |date=4 April 2008 |title=New generation lacks stamina for art: Indu Mitha |url=https://zeenews.india.com/home/new-generation-lacks-stamina-for-art-indu-mitha_434663.html |work=Zee News |language=en}}</ref> After Independence, Mitha continued her dance training at Sangeet Bharat School and then later from S.V.Lalita.<ref>{{cite web |title=PechaKucha 20x20 |url=https://www.pechakucha.com/users/indu-mitha#show |website=www.pechakucha.com}}</ref>
==Career== In the years following her husband's retirement, Mitha began teaching Bharatnatyam in Lahore. Her first position was at the Lahore Grammar school, where she became a celebrated dance teacher. Her students and she were even able to put on a full-on performance at the end of her first teaching sojourn.<ref name="hindu" />
Her early performances were at private all-women parties, military functions, and Red Cross charity shows or in front of the All Pakistan Women's Association.<ref name="bbc">[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8177057.stm Veteran dancer wins over Pakistan] BBC News - 11 August 2009</ref> She now does one show a year for private audiences, mostly all-women groups, due to the heightened atmosphere linked to the increasing Islamization in Pakistan.<ref name="hindu" />
Mitha ran an academy/school "Mazmoon e Shauq" to teach classical dance where she taught many students like Amna Mawaz Khan.<ref>{{cite news |title=Indu Mitha's students mesmerize audience |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/145166/indu-mitha-s-students-mesmerize-audience |work=DAWN.COM |date=26 June 2005 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Yasin |first1=Aamir |title=LIVING COLOURS: 'Future of classical dance, music in Pakistan is very bright' |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1307859 |work=DAWN.COM |date=12 January 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Mausikar arranges thrilling performance of dance and music |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/85056-Mausikar-arranges-thrilling-performance-of-dance-and-music |work=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Indu Mitha mesmerizes audience at Lok Virsa |url=https://www.magazine.app.com.pk/art-culture/indu-mitha-mesmerizes-audience-at-lok-virsa/ |work=PAKISTAN PERSPECTIVES |language=en |access-date=30 November 2020 |archive-date=11 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211150524/https://www.magazine.app.com.pk/art-culture/indu-mitha-mesmerizes-audience-at-lok-virsa/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Performing for a cause: Classical dances, music make for a charming evening |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/610970/performing-for-a-cause-classical-dances-music-make-for-a-charming-evening |work=The Express Tribune |date=28 September 2013 |language=en}}</ref>
==Adaptations== To suit Pakistani cultural and religious norms, Mitha has altered the performance and style of the Bharatnatyam she teaches. She has composed Bharatnatyam songs in Urdu, due to her lack of understanding of Tamil, Telugu or Sanskrit, the three languages Bharatnatyam songs are traditionally composed in.<ref name="bbc" />
== Personal life == In 1951, she married Captain Aboobaker Osman Mitha, a Mumbai Memon against the wishes of her family, and moved back to Pakistan with him.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Faruqi |first1=Asif Aqeel |date=2 October 2016 |title=Caste away: The ongoing struggle of Punjabi Christians |url=https://herald.dawn.com/news/1153539 |work=Herald Magazine |language=en}}</ref> Their daughter, Tehreema Mitha is an accomplished Bharatnatyam dancer.<ref>[http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2008-weekly/nos-01-06-2008/enc.htm Struggling to dance] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509211803/http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2008-weekly/nos-01-06-2008/enc.htm|date=2009-05-09}} Jang - June 2008</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Reporter |first1=The Newspaper's Staff |date=1 March 2020 |title=Tribute to classical dancer Indu Mitha |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1537440 |work=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bettmann |first1=Rob |title=Tehreema Mitha on "The Scent of My Earth"Bourgeon {{!}} Bourgeon |url=http://bourgeononline.com/2007/04/tehreema-mitha-on-scent-of-my-earth/}}</ref>
==Awards== Mitha received President’s Award for Pride of Performance Awards (2020–2029) in August, 2020.<ref>{{cite news |title=DG PNCA Fouzia Saeed greets award recipients |url=https://nation.com.pk/18-Aug-2020/dg-pnca-fouzia-saeed-greets-award-recipients |work=The Nation |date=18 August 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Reporter |first1=The Newspaper's Staff |title=Posthumous Nishan-i-Imtiaz for Sadequain, Ahmad Faraz |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1574460 |work=DAWN.COM |date=15 August 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=President confers civil awards to 184 Pakistanis, foreigners for excellence, services |url=https://nation.com.pk/14-Aug-2020/president-confers-civil-awards-to-184-pakistanis-foreigners-for-excellence-services |work=The Nation |date=14 August 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
==Notes== *{{cite book |title=Across the Wagah: an Indian's sojourn in Pakistan |last=Tikekar |first=Monisha |year=2004 |publisher=Promilla & Co. in association with Bibliophile South Asia |location=New Delhi }}
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitha, Indu}} Category:1929 births Category:Living people Category:Bengali women artists Category:Pakistani Christians Category:Entertainers from Lahore Category:Pakistani choreographers Category:Women choreographers Category:Pakistani female dancers Category:Pakistani dancers Category:Pakistani music educators Category:Pakistani dance teachers Category:Pakistani people of Bengali descent Category:Bharatanatyam dancers Category:20th-century women artists Category:20th-century dancers Category:Pakistani women music educators Category:Teachers of Indian classical dance Category:Recipients of the Pride of Performance Category:Indian emigrants to Pakistan Category:People from Punjab Province (British India)