Gitanjali Lal – Renowned Kathak dancer

Gitanjali Lal is a famous Kathak dancer and choreographer. Kathak artist, Pandit Devi Lal of Jaipur Gharana was her husband, who passed away in 1976. She played the female lead in the first Kashmiri color film, Shayar-e-Kashmir Mahjur opposite Parikshit Sahni in late 1960s. She also won best actress for the same. But she completely switched from films to dance forms. She has served as a member of expert committees for government organizations and currently serves as the director of Devi Durga Kathak Samsthan, New Delhi.

Gitanjali Lal hails from a musical family of Baroda. Her father, Rajnikant Desai was a vocalist, and a disciple of Ustad Faiyaz Khan. Her father who initially worked as a college professor in Mumbai was later posted in Srinagar as Principal of the Institute of Music and Fine Arts. The family shifted to Kashmir. Her father, a patron of arts encouraged her art skills and also taught her classical music. As a dancer she gave her first public performance at the age of 9. She graduated in music, and also learnt Santoor and Bharatnatyam.

As a solo artist she gave her first performance at New Delhi in 1970. The siblings Devi Lal and Durga Lal also performed in the same concert and it was for the first time she met them. Three years later she married Pandit Devi Lal. The couple later taught at Kathak Kendra, along with their performances.

Gitanjali Lal – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was among the audience when she gave her first public performance at the age of 9.

2. Zakir Hussain, as a boy played tabla for Gitanjali’s first public performance.

3. She became a widow in 1976 at a young age. 

4. Her husband Pandit Devi Lal was also a renowned Kathak dancer.

5. She has trained dance forms from Devi Lal and Gopi Krishna.