mallika sarabhai, recipient of the Padma Bhushan honour, is an activist, Indian classical dancer, and actress from Ahmedabad who runs the prestigious Darpana Academy.

An accomplished Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer, she believes in using the arts for social change and transformation. The French Government awarded her with a knight’s rank in the Order of Academic Palms in 2005 for her contribution to the field of drama and dance.