Darpana Academy, founded by Vikram and Mrinalini Sarabhai, has been a pioneering force in blending classical arts with social transformation for 75 years.
As part of the 45th Vikram Sarabhai International Art Festival, Darpana Academy of Performing Arts and Nexion are presenting a theatre production titled Meanwhile, Elsewhere, based on Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities. The production is conceived and directed by Yadav Chandran. Today marks Vikram Sarabhai’s death anniversary.
In 1949, Vikram and Mrinalini Sarabhai envisioned bringing classical culture and performing arts to North and West India. They founded the Darpana Academy to teach, perform, create, and propagate the southern classical styles of dance and music. Over its 75 years of existence, Darpana has taught dance, theatre, music, and puppetry to over 35,000 students. It has performed in more than a hundred countries, often serving as our nation’s first diplomatic overture.
The academy has revived over ten dying art forms, including Bhavai and Andhra shadow puppets. It has collaborated with national and international agencies and governments to use the arts as a language for social change and empowerment. Additionally, Darpana has presented artists from around the world to audiences in Ahmedabad and has served as a crucible for diverse artists from different parts of the world to come together, work, and create.
Today, Darpana continues to create, generate, disseminate, teach, produce, and curate. The academy works with over 2,000 children from marginalised communities, using folk dance to impart life skills, focus, concentration, and an understanding of our multicultural heritage. It teaches several hundred students of all ages the nuances of classical dance and music—not necessarily to turn them into artists, but to provide them with the experience of physical and mental sadhana that helps build core strength and character.
At its state-of-the-art amphitheatre, Natarani, Darpana brings the arts of the world and the world of arts to the people of Ahmedabad. This exposure enriches lives and fosters a deeper connection with our shared humanity. The academy also encourages young creators by offering space and expertise for their debut works.
Darpana produces video content on women’s empowerment, gender equity, human rights, and environmental issues to educate, empower, and inspire change. Its music video ARID, addressing climate destruction, was chosen as the flagship video by UN climate agencies in 2022.
The academy also stages performances that address sensitive issues. Its latest production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth highlights themes of greed, hubris, power, and violence—issues that resonate with our daily lives. This production is currently being performed for college audiences across the country.
