The Kathak Empress who refused a national honor to demand the Bharat Ratna

Art · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Born Dhanlakshmi in 1920, Sitara Devi became a legendary Kathak dancer who captivated Rabindranath Tagore at age sixteen. Known as the empress of dance, she defied traditional marriage expectations, performed at the Royal Albert Hall, and mentored generations of Bollywood stars before famously rejecting a prestigious government award.

Born in Kolkata on 8 November 1920, Sitara Devi was raised in a family of performing artists. Her father, Sukhdev Maharaj, a Sanskrit scholar and Kathak expert, trained her in the Benaras and Lucknow Gharana styles. Her talent was evident early; at age eight, she resisted a child marriage to pursue schooling, where she quickly established herself as a gifted performer. By age ten, she was already giving solo recitals during cinema intermissions, eventually dropping out of formal education to dedicate her life to dance.

Devi’s career spanned decades and continents, including performances at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1976 and London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1967. While she briefly appeared in Hindi films—notably performing a Holi dance in the 1957 classic Mother India—she eventually abandoned cinema to focus exclusively on classical Kathak. Her influence extended to Bollywood, where she taught stars like Madhubala, Rekha, and Kajol. Beyond Kathak, she mastered Bharatanatyam, folk dances, and even Russian ballet.

Her personal life was marked by four marriages and a fierce commitment to her art. She was a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1969, the Padma Shree in 1973, and the Kalidas Samman in 1995. However, she famously declined the Padma Bhushan, viewing it as an insult to her lifelong contributions and demanding the Bharat Ratna instead. She passed away in Mumbai on 25 November 2014, leaving behind a legacy as one of India's most illustrious dancers.

Devi’s life remains a testament to the intersection of tradition and rebellion. From being re-christened 'Sitara' by a school teacher to being hailed as the 'Nritya Samragni' by Rabindranath Tagore, her journey was defined by an unwavering pursuit of excellence. Even in her later years, she worked to codify the research she and her father had conducted on dance forms, ensuring that the nuances of her craft would be preserved for future generations.

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