Google Doodle pays tribute to Sitara Devi on her 97th birth anniversary

With Ghungroos, tabla and sitar in the back drop along with an elegant dancer, Google Doogle is celebrating 97th birth anniversary of Sitara Devi on Wednesday. 

Born on November 8th 1920, this Kathak queen started dancing at a very young age. By 16 she managed to woo Rabindranath Tagore with her dance moves, he went on describe her as Nritya Samragini. Sitara Devi is one of the prominent names credited for reviving the classical dance form and even introducing it to the world. She not just performed in various parts of the country but also wooed audience with her classical dance form at  at the Royal Albert Hall, London in 1967; and at the Carnegie Hall, New York in 1976.

Born into family of Kathak dancer Sukhdev Maharaj and Matsya Kumar who was related to royal family in Nepal, Sitara started learning dance at the age of 10. While his father faced a lot of criticism for teaching dance to his children, he continued to do so with Tagore's encouragement. After shifting to Bombay (now Mumbai), filmmaker and dance director Niranjan Sharma introduced her to Hindi films. Sitara Devi gave memorable performances in 1951's Nagina, Roti and Vatan  in 1954 and Anjali  in1957.

 In 2002, Sitara Devi turned down the Padma Bhushan saying “It is my insult and not an honor”. PTI quoted Sitara Devi as saying, “I will not accept any award less than Bharat Ratna.” However, in a career spanning six decades, this Kathak dancer was bestowed by several awards, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Padma Shree.  She passed away on November 25, 2014, at the age of 94.