Fund for Shivaranjani and Saadhvi

The Chitresh Das Dance Company and Chhandam School of Kathak is deeply saddened to announce the sudden passing of Kathak master Pandit Chitresh Das on January 4th, 2015 due to acute aortic dissection.  Pandit Das was surrounded by family and loved ones.

Pandit Das is survived by his wife, Celine, his two daughters, Shivaranjani and Saadhvi, his brother Ritesh Das, his disciples, students and countless others whose lives he touched.

A memorial will be held on January 9, 2015, at Mount Tamalpais Mortuary and Cemetery, 2500 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael CA at 11:30am. In leiu of flowers or gifts, we ask that you contribute to Shivaranjani's and Saadhvi's education fund.

Note: You may donate with a credit card.  A 9% fee will be deducted from your donation from the host site.  Alternatively, you may send a check payable to Pratibha Patel c/o Das Fund, and mail to 1396 El Camino Real Unit 305, Millbrae, CA 94030. We thank you for your kind support of the Das Memorial Fund.

Pandit Chitresh Das (1944-2015)

A child prodigy, he trained from the age of nine by his guru, Pandit Ram Narayan Mishra Kolkata (Calcutta), India. Das often referenced the importance and power of women and especially the mother, often stating, “mother is the first guru.” His own mother, Nilima Das, had a profound impact on his life as a dancer, she told him “dance from the gutters to the heavens” and “leave your country and you will understand your country.”   Pandit Chitresh Das was a prolific artist and had a profound, global and lasting impact on the world of Indian classical dance and dance in general. He was known not only for his remarkable artistry, but also choreography and evolution of Kathak.  

Pandit Das' pioneering contribution to the American arts scene began in 1970 when he received a Whitney Fellowship through the University of Maryland to teach Kathak. In 1971, he was invited by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan to establish a Kathak dance program at the renowned Ali Akbar College of Music in California. His own school, the Chhandam School of Kathak, was founded in 1980, and now has branches in ten cities in the US and India. It is one of the world's largest classical Indian dance institutions.  His company, the Chitresh Das Dance Company, is a visionary voice in Indian classical dance, comprised of powerful, leading women in Kathak whose abilities exemplify Chitresh Das’ emphasis on the technical, graceful and dramatic aspects of Kathak dance.  Many of the company members have become established solo artists in their own right, performing internationally to great acclaim. 

As he was trained by his Guru, Pandit Ram Narayan Misra, Das trained his own students, both in the US and India, within the guru-shisya parampara (the tradition of guru and disciple). A Guru literally means “one who removes the darkness” through direct knowledge and training. Das was committed to preserving the traditional one-to-one transmission of knowledge between guru and shisya. Recognizing that the idea of guru was often misunderstood, undervalued or misused and that tradition must evolve, he loved to call himself “modern Guru in training”.

Pandit Das was a master and virtuosic performer of the classical Kathak tradition. Based on his concept of “innovation within tradition,” Pandit Das explored the boundaries of Kathak technique and performance, creating compelling, new works that were inventive, yet deeply rooted in the Kathak tradition. Pandit Das performed and taught to audiences around the world, frequently touring through India, North America and Europe. He was well known for his virtuosic footwork, rhythmic adeptness, compelling storytelling, as well as his own innovation of Kathak Yoga. He choreographed over 100 works over the course of his career.

He also believed deeply in the power of collaboration and worked extensively with numerous cross-genre artists over the years.  Most notably, his collaboration, India Jazz Suites, with tap dancer, Jason Samuels Smith, became an international phenomenon touring to 50 cities around the world.  A documentary, Upaj, was made about their tour and mutual struggles to preserve their respective classical art forms, highlighting the extraordinary friendship between an African-American tapper half the age of Pandit Das.  Upaj screened at film festivals around the globe and was aired on national PBS. 

Among many awards, Pandit Das, received the National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor the U.S. government can bestow on a traditional artist. Pandit Das formed the first university accredited Kathak course in the U.S. at San Francisco State University and also taught at Stanford University. He was brought to teach twice at the West Bengal State Academy and represented the state of Bengal in tours throughout India.

Pandit Das believed art is a service to society and devoted time to those in need, including teaching children in the slums of India, the Blind Opera of Calcutta and teaching dance to the daughters of sex workers in Calcutta, India.