"For services to South Asian Dance in the UK,” Bharat Natyam and Kathak exponent Sunita Golvala has been named among the 503 recipients selected for the distinguished Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) as per the New Year’s Honours list for 2017 announced on December 30, 2016.
The total list includes 603 women, representing over 50% of the total recipients, according to the website gov.uk. Further, 9.3% of the successful candidates come from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background, the highest BAME component in an honours list. As specified on the website, 1,047 candidates were selected for the BEM (British Empire Medal), MBE and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) honours. The OBE recognizes a major local role in any activity that has earned national fame. The MBE is awarded for an outstanding achievement or service to the community that should have made a long-term, significant impact and stand out as an example to others. The BEM is conferred for a ‘hands-on’ service to the local community which could be a long-term charitable or voluntary activity, or innovative work of a relatively short duration (three to four years) that has made a significant difference.
Eighty-one-year-old Golvala is currently in the process of publishing her first book on Bharata Natyam. In her hey days she is known to have created Indian dance ballets as also choreographed and appeared in dance sequences for operas, plays, films and television. In 1978 she had represented India at the Commonwealth Arts Festival in Canada where she was invited by Alberta University to present a paper on "Dance and the Child,” according to her husband Minoo who shared her accomplishments on Parsiana’s request.
Bombay born Sunita (née Cooper) is an alumna of New Era School and St Xavier’s College from where she completed her BSc in microbiology. Trained in classical dance under Nabadkumar Sinha and Madam Menaka, Sunita was presented to audiences at the young age of six in Tagore’s ballet, Tasher Desh. In the subsequent years she appeared in other famous nritya natikas while continuing her classical training under the tutelage of famous dancers like Shirin Vajifdar, Krishna Kutty and Sitara Devi. Her talent for classical Indian dance and encouragement from her parents saw her accept the post of assistant director of Nritya Manjari, a dance academy, where she taught for over nine years whilst giving acclaimed performances with the Indian National Theatre, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Nritya Darpana all over India.
Sunita Golvala (top and above) striking the Krishna pose
In her younger days "there appeared to be little interest or involvement of the Parsi community in Indian art. Independence from British Raj brought a change in attitude,” noticed the danseuse who "felt a patriotic need to promote Indian art and culture.”
After relocating to England in 1965, she has extensively travelled the UK, Europe and the USA, giving dance recitals, lecture demonstrations and workshops to promote the understanding of classical Indian dance and culture. As director of the Nava Kala Dance Academy she started classes under the auspices of the Sangam Community Centre and the Inner London Education Authority.