Guru Mangala Bhatt passed away on Tuesday, June 16 succumbing to a long standing illness leaving her students and fans in a state of shock. She was zealously participating in the 10th National Convention of SPIC Macay couple of week’s ago in Hyderabad. She along with her husband Raghav Raj Bhatt have kept the flag of Kathak flying high in the city. Her death leaves a deep void in the cultural scape of the city!!
Mangala Bhatt, the luminous Kathak maestro who, alongside her husband Raghav Raj Bhatt, dedicated decades to preserving and elevating the classical dance form in South India, passed away today after a brief illness. Her passing leaves a void that reverberates not only across the world of Kathak but in the hearts of generations of students and connoisseurs of classical dance.
Born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Mangala’s early attraction to rhythm and movement became a lifelong devotion to Kathak. She trained at Delhi’s prestigious Kathak Kendra on a national scholarship, under the renowned gurus Shri Kundanlal Gangani and later, the legendary Pandit Durga Lal of the Jaipur Gharana. The rigorous taalim she received would define her distinctive style—rooted in precision, imbued with emotion, and elevated by grace.
“I was always interested in dance. However, my professional training began when I was 18 years, in Delhi. But, my first performance was when I was 19,” she recalled in a 2015 interview with Deccan Chronicle. “I was a little nervous, but the gravity of the situation never hit me then… now when I look back I realise how important it was.”
It was during her years at Kathak Kendra that she met fellow dancer Raghav Raj Bhatt, a gifted student of Pandit Birju Maharaj and a native of Hyderabad. Their marriage was also a meeting of two Kathak gharanas—Jaipur and Lucknow—and they wove together their distinct aesthetics into a singular voice that would go on to enrich Indian classical dance.
Mangala Bhatt with Raghav Bhatt at Spic Macay National Convention 2026
In 1990, Mangala and Raghav founded the Aakruti Kathak Kendra in Hyderabad. What began as a modest dance school has since grown into a vital cultural institution—training hundreds of students, curating festivals, and pushing the boundaries of performance.
The couple’s annual festival Antarang became a defining contribution to Hyderabad’s cultural calendar. It was not just a platform for performance—it was a tribute to tradition.
Their work at Aakruti also brought Kathak into dialogue with other traditions—flamenco, jazz, qawwali, and contemporary dance—all while maintaining the classical core. The Bhatt duo were known for their integrity, discipline, and willingness to explore new dimensions within the framework of Kathak.
Mangala was not only a dancer but a teacher, guide, and mentor whose legacy is felt in the ghungroos of every student she trained. “My guru Pandit Durga Lal… inspired me to do better. Even today, though he is no more, I can feel his presence and I know he is looking out for me,” she had said—a sentiment that now rings true for those who looked up to her.
Over the years, Mangala and Raghav received numerous honours, including the Telangana State Award, the prestigious Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2019), and the Guru Deba Prasad Award. Mangala was an empanelled ICCR artist and a Doordarshan-approved performer, and her contributions to cultural diplomacy and dance education remain unmatched.
As a couple, they represented a rare blend of artistic finesse, rootedness, and openness. Raghav Bhatt, a talented visual artist in his own right, complemented Mangala’s rhythm with visual storytelling—creating sets, backdrops, and an ethos that turned Aakruti into more than a school: it became a sanctuary for Kathak.
Mangala’s passing is a loss to India’s cultural consciousness. But her spirit—anchored in tradition, ever graceful—will continue to pirouette in the hearts of those she touched. May her legacy twirl on, forever alive in the thumris, bols, and poetry of Kathak.
Latest Pictures from Spic Macay’s National Convention 2025 (Sourced from Facebook)
