Kalaguru Smt. Elakshiben Thakore
Smt. Elakshiben Thakore

Smt. Elakshiben Thakore, is the pioneer in Bharatnatyam whose name has become synonymous with this southern style of Indian Classical Dance.

Smt. Elakshiben ThakoreBharatnatyam, the South based Indian Classical Dance was not so familiar dance form in l ate fifties and early sixties in Gujarat. Smt. Elakshi Thakore, a post graduate in Bharatnatyam from M.S. University, Baroda, instituted "Nrityabharti" in 1960 for popularizing and developing Bharatnatyam repertoire specially in Gujarat and to produce a generations of dancers.

She paved a new way of creations by adopting poems from Gujarati Literature in Bharatnatyam dance form and composing a full Bharatnatyam Margam in Gujarati. This major contribution of her in classical dance is a gift to the people of Gujarat. Similarly she has successfully experimented with poems in English, Hindi and Marathi.

She had been a Executive Committee member of Sangeet Nritya Natya Academy of Gujarat Government from 1975 to 1995. Also, she was appointed as expert at "Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidhyalaya – Miraj" and "Bruhad Gujarat Sangeet Samittee" and as the member of Examination Board of M. S. University, Baroda. She had been appointed on the Advisory Board in Doordarshan Kendra, Ahmedabad from 1992 to 1995. She also spreaded roots even in U.S.A, Canada, U.K., Sri Lanka & East Africa, wherein she has given programmes, lectures, demonstrations and also conducted Master training classes in dancing in several institutions.

For her contribution in classical dance, she has been awarded "Gaurav Puraskar" by Government of Gujarat, "Triveni" at Baroda, "Amruta" at Mumbai, "Potluri Award" from USA Tennessee, "Nritya Yatra Award" and also honoured by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.