Sangeet Natak Akademi award for Odissi exponent Varadkar, also former Irish PM’s cousin

Shubhada Varadkar, a 65-year-old Mumbai-based Odissi exponent and former Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar's cousin, has been honored with the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi award for Odissi. Born into a family of distinguished academics, lawyers, freedom fighters, and medical practitioners, Shubhada grew up in a home where music and dance were not initially considered viable professions.

Her parents, Manohar and Manik Varadkar, were freedom fighters who participated in the Quit India Movement, while her grandfather, V R Khanolkar, was a renowned pathologist and the first Dean of the Tata Memorial Cancer Research Institute.

Shubhada's interest in dance emerged during her school days, and her parents set a condition for her to receive official training: she had to achieve a distinction in her Class 10 exams. She subsequently began her formal training in Bharatanatyam under Guru Shri Mani in Mumbai due to its proximity to her home. Later, she discovered Odissi, which captivated her with its lyrical flow and graceful movements.

She pursued her studies in economics and became a professor at RR Ruia College in Mumbai, eventually learning Odissi from Kelucharan Mohapatra in Bhubaneswar through his gurukul system.

Shubhada is also the first cousin of Leo Varadkar, the former Prime Minister of Ireland and the country's first openly gay head of state. She is the granddaughter of V R Khanolkar, who is considered the Father of Pathology and Medical Research in India. Additionally, she is the grand-niece of Savitri Bai Khanolkar, the designer of India's highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra.

Savitri Bai, of Swiss origin, claimed to have been "born in Europe by mistake" and was fluent in Hindi and Marathi. She specifically traveled to Mumbai to attend Shubhada's aarangetram, the ceremonial debut of her dance career.