Asavari Pawar

Asavari Pawar, affectionately known as the “Dancing Jewel of India,” is an acclaimed Kathak exponent, choreographer, educator, writer, and cultural ambassador whose artistic journey reflects a rare blend of tradition, innovation, and global outreach. She inherited her passion for Kathak from her illustrious father, Padmashri Guru Pratap Pawar, MBE, one of the foremost exponents of the Lucknow Gharana of Kathak. Beginning her dance training at the age of eight as a member of her father’s renowned dance troupe, Triveni, in London, Asavari developed a strong foundation in the classical arts while pursuing her education in the United Kingdom. Upon returning to India, she underwent intensive training under the legendary Pt. Vijay Shankar, further refining her mastery of Kathak and its intricate rhythmic dimensions.

A versatile artist, Asavari’s training extends beyond Kathak to classical vocal music under the legendary Smt. Girija Devi, ballet, African folk dance, Odissi under Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra, and theatre under Shri Satyadev Dubey. Fluent in Hindi, English, Bengali, and French, she has presented performances and workshops across the world, connecting with audiences through both artistic excellence and cultural understanding. As the founder of Kalaashish, she has dedicated herself to promoting Indian classical arts globally while nurturing young talent through performance opportunities, education, and mentorship. Alongside her artistic pursuits, she has worked as a cultural journalist, dance critic, television anchor, and educator, bringing classical arts into mainstream cultural discourse. Her acclaimed productions, including The Coat, The Golden Paayal, Mahishasura Mardini, A Prayer for Peace, Satrang, and Woman, have earned widespread recognition for their powerful storytelling, social relevance, and creative use of classical dance traditions. Through these works, she has explored themes of migration, identity, spirituality, womanhood, and cultural harmony. Over the course of her distinguished career, Asavari has received numerous honours, including the Sarojini Naidu Award, the Major Award in the United Kingdom for her landmark production The Coat, the Pride of India Award, the Kiran Achievement Award (Woman of Excellence), and the Award of Achievement in Art & Culture (UK). Through her performances, teaching, choreography, and cultural advocacy, Asavari Pawar continues to serve as a dynamic force in preserving and promoting India’s rich artistic heritage on the global stage.

Asavari Pawar

What inspired Guru Pratap Pawar to accept the cultural assignment to Guyana and how did that decision shape his artistic journey?

Art and culture has to be for the classes and the masses, it has to be presented in such a way that every artiste, appreciates the other one. And we can fuse it as long as we have a good knowledge of our own styles and also one should present everything in such an entertaining way that, generations that come, new trends it looks like its part of the new trend. But it should have the strength of whatever style one is doing. It is very important that it should not be done in a superficial way but rather in a very very deep rooted and sincere manner and young, old and professional people has to be involved. In fact the main thing should be that the young people should have a saying in the whole thing and listening to what they say. Incorporating own strength in it. It should be like presented in a very contemporary manner. So it appeals to the young peoples and then they want to be associated with the art and they want to exchange, they want to learn. Everyone should learn every other person’s art and appreciate every other person’s art. That is what the world is all about. We are all one family and the art, dance and the music should have a platform and the attitude to want to collaborate and as I said not superficially but really integrate each style in whatever we are doing. And every thing we do should match with the music and theme. There should be no boundaries that you can’t lift a hand, you can’t spin, you have to do footwork, I can do whatever required. My vision enlarged as I have been exposed to various kind of cultures and have been performing with a variety of artistes from different countries.