Seema Mehta

Seema Kaushik Mehta (born c.1976) is an Indian Karatha expert and designer of jewellery. She received the Nari Shakti Puraskar award for her dancing advocacy in 2019 after working with under-privileged children in Mumbai.

Seema Kaushik Mehta
in March 2019
Bornc.1976
NationalityIndia
EducationAcademy of Art College in San Francisco
Occupationdancer and jewellery designer
Known forNari Shakti Puraskar award

Life

She was born in about 1976[1] and she studied at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco.[2]

Mehta dances for Leela Dance Collective in 2019

She became a Chitresh Das disciple in 2010 and followed his ideas until his death in 2015. She trained with him and would perform his style of dancing in India.[3] She and Pandit Das founded the second branch of his school in India, Chhandam Nritya Bharati, in Mumbai in 2010. Mehta's mentor had taught Kathak dance to the children of sex workers in Calcutta to help them break free of the cycle of exploitation.[4]

Mehta was given the Nari Shakti Puraskar award on International Women's Day in 2019.[5] 1000 women were nominated for the award and 44 were chosen to receive it. She was chosen because of her work with under-privileged children in Mumbai. They were learning to dance, but also to assert themselves. Maneka Gandhi was at the ceremony and spoke about the ambition of women in India.[1]

Mehta appeared with American tap dancer Jason Samuels Smith. Samuels Smith had previously toured with her mentor. Kathak and tap dancing complement each other as both use the feet with the major difference being footwear as Kathak is done bare foot.[6]

Jewellery

Mehta is also keen on jewellery design, although she still had her school of dance. She says that jewellery design and dance are both part of her life. She is the creative director in her family's jewellery business.[2]

gollark: It would be undemocratic to ask people MORE now they have better information!
gollark: Or "how can I gain access to nuclear weapons".
gollark: Or "what would be the best way to destroy the UK government".
gollark: "is it possible to bomb the house of lords" is a *great* question.
gollark: I assumed it was higher.

References
  1. Pawar, Yogesh (2019-03-24). "Seema Mehta on receiving the President's award for teaching kathak to underprivileged girls". DNA India. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  2. Purushothaman, Kirubhakar (2017-03-02). "Sparkles are her business". The Asian Age. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  3. Jun 11, Mumbai Mirror | Updated:; 2011; Ist, 13:42. "Kathak dancer Seema Mehta performs - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2020-06-08.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. "Umrao Jaan, the story untold". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  5. "Nari Shakti Puraskar - Gallery". narishaktipuraskar.wcd.gov.in. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  6. "Watch how tap dance and kathak blend on NCPA stage". Hindustan Times. 2017-01-20. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
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