One of the greatest dancers of modern India , Sitara Devi was born in Kolkata. She was imparted training in Kathak by her father, shri Sukhdev Maharaj Mishra, and masters of the Lucknow Gharana like achchan Maharaj, Lachchu Maharaj and shambhu Maharah.
Sitara Devi was responsible for making Kathak integral to the film industry since the 1930s. Her choreography accorded new meaning to the film world. She even got the Best Actress award, at the age of 18, for her performance in ‘Vatan’ and also in 1943 for her role in ‘Najam’.
Sitara Devi had dedicated her whole life to the restoration of the restoration of the real form of Kathak which can be traced to Natya Shastra, the ancient Indian Treatise of classical dance forms. Currently, she is planning to launch her own dance academy.
She is the recipient of several awards and has also performed at the Royal Albert and Victoria Hall in 1967 and the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York in 1976.