The centenary of “Mr Dance of India” Prof Mohan Khokar
News Alliance
NATIONAL, September 13, 2025: 108 dancers of Delhi will come together Thursday, September 18, 2025 at 4 pm at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Old Janpath Hotel, Janpath, to celebrate the centenary of “Mr Dance of India” — Prof Mohan Khokar (1925–2025). Conceived, curated and conducted by ace dance icon Ashish Khokar, the event marks a historic coming together of India’s dance fraternity in tribute to the scholar.
The evening will open with The A to Z of Indian Dance —Vignettes of Veterans , a rare showcase of original posters, press clips, rare photos and books; artefacts, costumes, music, with over 100 dancers in hall, all paying homage to the legendary figure, who shaped the course of Indian dance history.
A ceremonial outdoor opening will be presented by students of leading acharyas across Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Mohiniattam and Kathak, while the indoor performance will feature Young India’s rising talents including Rahul Varshney (Odissi), Paroma Mukherjee (Contemporary), Washim Raja (Kuchipudi), Rashmi Singh Khanna (Bharatanatyam), Kamaljeet (Manipuri), Jayaprabha Menon (Mohiniattam) and Rohan Bhutaiya (Kathak). These specially created performances will reflect the vitality of India’s classical forms as they continue into a new century.
Stars of Delhi — Padma Shri awardees Ranjana Gauhar, Shovana Narain, Vanashree Rao, Madhavi Mudgal — alongwith luminaries such as Sharon Lowen, Rajendra Gangani, Jai Krishna Maharaj, Jayaprabha Menon, Malathi Shyam, Papiha Desai, Ambika Panikar, Vidha Lal and younger artistes Meenu Thakur, Arushi Mudgal,Sayani Chakraborty, Kevin Bachan, Sangita Chatterjee, Tanya Saxena, Manpreet, Ravi Yadav and many more will mark their solidarity in a celebration of fraternity and shared heritage. Trustees Dr Sonal Mansingh, Dr Padma Subrahmanyam and Dr Bharat Gupt will be seen virtually through specially curated film messages, reiterating their long links to the Mohan Khokar Dance Collection at IGNCA. Prof Mohan Khokar's vast legacy includes the Mohan Khokar Dance Collection (MCDC), now housed at IGNCA, blessed by its president Ram Bahadur Rai and preserved under the leadership of Dr Sachchidanand Joshi with the Conservation and Cultural Archives team led by Achal Pandya.
The celebrations will also include the screening of a short film on Prof. Mohan Khokar made by Filmkarigar and the Jamini Roy family and the Third Memorial Lecture delivered by veteran patron-scholar Dr Karan Singh. Adding to the occasion is the launch of the Silver Jubilee edition of AttenDance, India’s only dance yearbook, founded by Prof Khokar and carried forward by Elisabeth and Ashish Khokar.
The French Ambassador to India, who has written the Foreword to the book, will be represented by Cultural Head of IFI, M Gregor Trumel and Cultural Attaché Amandine Roggeman. The first copy will be ceremonially received by Aman Nath, who heads the Neemrana Group, underscoring the international significance of this milestone. UNESCO India head Tim Curtis has written the Preface and India's Ambassador to France Sanjiv Singla a message of support.
India's former Ambassador to UNESCO Paris Chiranjeev Singh has contributed too and was the chair of the Expert committee that put the value of the Mohan Khokar Dance Collection at 7 crores, ten years ago (so double in value now). This is the only dance family in India that has donated the full worth of their lifetime work to the nation. Generally artists ask the government for land, awards and grants. The Khokars have never asked or got that's why they are much respected in the art fraternity , pan India. And hailed as the FIRST FAMILY OF INDIAN DANCE.
On the occasion, reputed dance historian-critic Ashish Khokar, son, successor and curator of the Mohan Khokar Dance Collection, said, “This centenary is not just about remembering my father, but about celebrating the history of Indian dance that he so painstakingly preserved for generations. His vision was to give dancers, scholars and future lovers of the arts a permanent archive — a place where the spirit of dance could be experienced beyond performance. Through IGNCA’s support, that dream has found a rightful home.”
Prof Mohan Khokar’s contribution to Indian dance remains unparalleled — as a scholar, curator, critic, and chronicler who ensured that India’s dance traditions were not only performed but also documented, protected, and passed on. All art lovers are welcome to join this celebration of heritage and history.
About
Born in undivided Punjab on 30 December 1924, Prof Mohan Khokar trained under Zohra Segal before becoming the first male student of Kalakshetra in 1945, directly under Rukmini Devi Arundale and Peria Sarada. In 1949, he married Bharatanatyam star and guru M.K. Saroja. His vast legacy includes the Mohan Khokar Dance Collection (MKDC), now housed at IGNCA, preserved under the leadership of Dr Sachidanand Joshi with the Conservation and Cultural Archives team led by Achal Pandya. The MKDC gallery today stands at the pride of place at IGNCA’s main entrance, a cultural archive of national significance. It will be open from September 18 to end of the year.
It is the first dance museum and archives of India, internationally.
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