Archive · 7 Sep 2026
Indu Mitha Carried Bharatanatyam Across Partition and Pakistan
Indu Mitha was a dancer who loved Bharatanatyam, a classical dance from South India.
After India and Pakistan were divided, she moved from Delhi to Karachi in 1951.
She married a Pakistani army officer named Aboobaker Osman Mitha.
In Pakistan, she taught Bharatanatyam to more than 2,000 students over about 70 years.
She taught in several cities, including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
Dance became difficult during General Zia-ul-Haq’s rule, but Indu kept teaching.
She also used Urdu poetry and North Indian music so the dance could connect with people in Pakistan.
Indu died in Dublin at age 97 and was honored for her contribution to the arts.
Indu Mitha moved from Delhi to Karachi in 1951 and married Pakistani army officer Aboobaker Osman Mitha.
She spent seven decades teaching Bharatanatyam in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, reaching more than 2,000 students.
Mitha adapted the dance form by using North Indian music and instruments and setting Urdu poetry to Bharatanatyam.
She continued teaching despite restrictions on dance during General Zia-ul-Haq’s regime and Pakistan’s increasingly conservative cultural climate.
Mitha died in Dublin at 97 after a brief illness and received Pakistan’s Pride of Performance award in 2020.
- Who
- Indu Mitha, a Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher, and her husband, Pakistani army officer Aboobaker Osman Mitha.
- What
- Mitha brought Bharatanatyam to Pakistan and taught the form to generations of students for seven decades.
- When
- She moved to Karachi and married in 1951; she died in Dublin at 97 after a brief illness, and received the Pride of Performance award in August 2020.
- Where
- She taught and performed in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, Pakistan, and died in Dublin.
- Why
- She continued teaching to preserve and develop Bharatanatyam in Pakistan despite limited support and restrictions on dance.
- Birth and death
- Indu Mitha died in Dublin at age 97 after a brief illness.
- Move to Pakistan
- She moved from Delhi to Karachi in 1951.
- Students taught
- She taught more than 2,000 students.
- Teaching locations
- Her work took place in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
- Dance adaptation
- She used North Indian instruments and music and set Urdu poetry to Bharatanatyam.
- Major challenge
- Dance faced severe restrictions during General Zia-ul-Haq’s rule.
- National honor
- She received the Presidential Award for Pride of Performance in August 2020.