Indian Classical Dance

Indrani Rahman brings Indian classical dance to the Midlands and makes a rare appearance on ITV.

Philip Garston-Jones meets the famed Indian dancer Indrani Rahman in a slightly awkward interview broadcast in the early years of ITV in the Midlands. Miss Rahman was touring the UK and bringing a culture that was still considered exotic and alien to many tea-time television viewers. The grace of her performance with its complex hand movements shines through the decades.

Indrani Rahman (1933-1999) had been Miss India in 1952. She toured Europe and America extensively during the 1960s and '70s performing for many heads of state. She eventually settled in America in 1976. Accompanying her in this performance are her dance guru Deba Prasad Das playing a madal and flute player Srinivasa Murthy.