Odissi Dancer · Choreographer · Author
Shubhada Varadkar
The Artist
Shubhada Varadkar is an Odissi dancer, choreographer and author whose forty-year path has moved through economics, broadcast news, two encounters with cancer, and back to the stage.
Trained under Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, she has created twelve original productions, performed across fifteen countries since 1991, and written four books on the form.
In 2025, the Sangeet Natak Akademi honoured her with its award for Scholarship in Performing Arts.
National Recognition, 2025
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award — Scholarship in Performing Arts, Dance
Conferred by the President of India
Latest Production
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Mrityunjay
A psychological portrait of Karna’s lifelong struggle for identity and acceptance, drawn from the Mahabharata. Premiered to a full house at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, 20 April 2025.
Mrityunjay
A psychological portrait of Karna's lifelong struggle for identity and acceptance, drawn from the Mahabharata.
Trail of Roses
An Odissi meditation on Schiller's Ode to Joy, staged with German artists as part of Stuttgart Meets Mumbai.
Journey to Divinity
The soul's journey to self-realisation, drawn from Swami Vivekananda's philosophy of Karma, Jnana and Bhakti.
Kanupriya
Radha's interior monologue on her love for Krishna, drawn from Dr. Dharamvir Bharati's poem, blending dance with the rarely-used Vachik Abhinaya.
Chitrangadha
A cross-cultural adaptation of Tagore's play Chitra, blending Odissi with Marathi theatre and music.
Madhuram
Krishna's many dimensions as portrayed by the saint-poets Adi Shankaracharya, Jayadeva, Sant Dnyaneshwar, Mirabai and Surdas.
Mayurpankh
An autobiographical dance work on her own journey as a cancer survivor — courage, resilience and hope.
Amrutghanu
A devotional work on Sant Dnyaneshwar's surrender to Lord Pandurang (Vithoba), rooted in the Bhakti tradition.
Ritusamharam
The six Indian seasons of Kalidasa's Ritusamharam, danced as a collaboration across Odissi, Kathak and Bharatanatyam.
Ram Ratan Dhan
A tribute to Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar — her devotional, patriotic and cinematic songs rendered in classical dance vocabulary.
Abhedam — The Inseparable
Adi Shankaracharya's Advaita Vedanta, danced as a journey from the illusion of separation to the realisation of absolute unity.
Flamenco–Odissi: Rasayatra
An Odissi–Flamenco dialogue on the universality of emotion, drawing on Mahasweta Devi, Kusumagraj and Federico García Lorca.
“[Press quote — pending permission] on her versatility as a choreographer.”
— The Hindu, 2019
The Celestial Plume
A stirring account of an artist's resilience through cancer, told as a dialogue between self and observer.
Mayurpankh
An introspective monologue on an inner witness to joy, sorrow, struggle and triumph.
Odra Magadhi te Odissi — Ek Pravas
Traces Odissi's evolution from its Odra-Magadhi roots to its present classical form.
Glimpses of Indian Classical Dance
An illustrated overview of India's classical dance traditions, rooted in the Natyashastra.
Footprints of Oudramagadhi in Odissi Dance
A forthcoming scholarly work for the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Peacock Plume
A documentary on her life and work, directed by National Award-winning film-maker Shabnam Sukhdev, based on her memoir.
Indo-German Dance Project
Dancers coping with COVID-19 through cross-cultural artistic collaboration.
Learn Odissi in Mumbai
Train with a national award-winning guru
Classes for all ages and levels, taught by Shubhada Varadkar and Mitali Varadkar. Through the Sanskrita Foundation, free classical-dance training also reaches underprivileged children, alongside support for cancer patients at Tata Memorial Hospital.
