Natarani

Natarani Amphitheatre is an excellent venue for cultural events. Since 1994, this platform has been presenting several events every year; ranging from dance and theatre to cultural celebrations and film screenings.

Late Mrinalini Sarabhai and her husband Dr. Vikram Sarabhai started Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in 1949. Under classical dancer, choreographer and instructor Mrinalini Sarabhai, Darpana began as school for classical dance but over the years it also encompassed theatre, puppetry, music and other genres of performing arts.

Darpana trained thousands of artists in Bharatnatyam and other dance forms, and its troupes have performed in more than 95 countries.

 In 1977, Mrinalini's daughter, Mallika Sarabhai, a choreographer and dancer took over as the director. She started Natarani with a unique designed amphitheatre and had a wooden stage which is set against the backdrop of Sabarmati.

In a short time, she started using her work for education, empowering and raising awareness. Moreover, Shakti: The Power of Women was Mallika's first creation of theatrical works of her hard-hitting solo. From Indian classical dances to International dances, from a Parsee Gujarati satire to Charlie Chaplin's classic films, the events at Natarani are spread across a variety of art forms and genres.

The complex is of much architectural interest encompassing the library designed in 1963 by Balkrishna Doshi. The Darpana dance school building designed in 1968, by Achyut Kanvinde, HCP Ahmedabad’s Mrinalini Sarabhai Gallery and Abhikram’s acoustic wall.

Architect Kirti Shah’s original amphitheatre had to be rebuilt because of the Riverfront Development behind the complex, and the newly built structure has interesting design elements, passive thermal comfort and design strategies.

At the entrance to the complex, Natrani Café is an appropriately artsy café with brickwork, stone, mosaic and hand-embellishments.