Sarada Hoffman was an Indian Bharatanatyam classical dancer, based in Chennai. A recipient of the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Sarada was also a dance teacher. In 2001, she became the recipient of the first Rukmini Devi Medal for Excellence in the Arts, given by the Centre for Contemporary Culture, New Delhi. She was known affectionately as “Sarada Teacher” or “Chinna Sarada”.
Sarada Hoffman – Bharatanatyam Dancer and Teacher
Her maiden name is A. Sarada. She was born in Madras, Madras Presidency, British India, on 14 June 1929. Her early childhood days were spent in Adyar, Chennai, before her family moved to Madurai. Yet she stayed in Chennai and grew up at Theosophical Society Adyar, under the care of George Arundale and his wife, Rukmini Devi Arundale, the acclaimed Bharatnatyam dancer.
Initially a student, and then a teacher at Theosophical Society
Sarada joined the Besant Memorial School, founded by Dr. G.S. Arundale in 1934. She had completed Form 3 when she became a dance student in 1939.
As her parents shifted to another city, young Sarada stayed in a hostel during her teens, and she continued staying there while teaching. She married Peter Hoffman at Dr. Arundale’s residence in 1960, and then only shifted from the hostel. He was a theosophist who came to Chennai from the U.S in 1949, to assist Rukmini Devi in her various projects. The couple lived at Valmiki Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai. They were blessed with two children.
She received training in Bharatnatyam from the greats – Rukmini Devi Arundel, Pandanallur Chokkalingam Pillai, and Mylapore Gowri Amma. Ambu and Chandu Panicker taught her Kathakali too. She completed her studies in 1947 and joined Kalakshetra very soon. She stayed there until her marriage. Kalakshetra was originally started in 1936, inside the campus of the Theosophical Society.
As there were two dancers with the same name in the institute, and they had an age difference, Sarada was addressed as “Chinna Sarada” (Younger Sarada) and the other one as “Periya Sarada” (Elder Sarada). Time passed by. Yet people still continued calling her Chinna Sarada.
A teacher and a choreographer by passion
Apart from teaching, she also choreographed many art pieces. She retired from Kalakshetra as the head of the dance department in 1989. During her professional years, she taught Yamini Krishnamurthy, Adyar K. Lakshman, C. V. Chandrasekhar, Shantha, Dhananjayan, and many others. After retirement, she served as an emerita member of Kalakshetra until 1996. Sarada Hoffman passed away on 14 September 2025, at the age of 96.
Sarada Hoffman – Lesser-known Facts
1. After G. Lilavati and Radha Sreeram (the first two students), Sarada Hoffman was the third student from the institute who made a mark in this field.
2. While she was a young student at the art school, she took part in a few plays such as Light of Asia, Bheeshma, and Karaikkal Ammaiyar.
3. Her portrayal of Manthara in Sreerama Vanagamanam, the Apsara in Paduka Pattabhishekam (Ramayana series), lead in Kutrala Kuravanji, etc., is memorable.
4. She performed Andal’s dream, ‘Varanam Aiyaram’, in 1945, which was specially composed for her, since she was fond of Krishna. Years later, in 1961, she played the role of Andal in ‘Andal Charithram’.
5. She is a recipient of Kalaimamani from the Tamil Nadu state government and the Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, 1996. She also received the Sangeeta Kala Acharya award from the Music Academy.
6. Rukmini Devi knew Sarada’s family since her grandfather, Alladi Mahadeva Shastri, was the priest who performed her marriage ceremony with Arundale. Young Sarada met her in 1934, when she was 5 years old.
7. She belonged to the third generation of theosophists. Her grandfather, Alladi Mahadeva Shastri, was the Director of the Adyar Library in the 1920s. Her father, M. Krishnan, was also a theosophist who worked for the Olcott Memorial schools. That’s why she was born and brought up in the theosophical estate.
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