Dancing in the Family

Sukanya Rahman

The classical dancer and artist Sukanya Rahman revisits the history of her grandmother, Esther Luella Sherman, an American who grew fixated with Indian classical dance, changed her name to Ragini Devi, moved to India and established herself in Bharatanatyam and Kathakali. Sherman’s daughter, Indrani Rahman, became a renowned Odissi dancer and popularised the dance form. The author offers a compelling history of her family and a series of archival photographs dating back to 1893.

Speaking Tiger, 256 pages, Rs 399