Syed Sallauddin Pasha is a

Bharatanatyam ''Bharatanatyam'' is a Indian classical dance form that came from Tamil Nadu, India. It is a classical dance form recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas of Hinduism and Jainism.< ...

and

Kathak ''Kathak'' is one of the eight major forms of Classical Indian dance, Indian classical dance. Its origin is attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern India known as ''Kathakar'' ("storyteller"), who communicated stories from the ...

dancer Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

Choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

Actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and Founder, artistic director of Ability Unlimited
Miracle on Wheels
and a

therapeutic A therapy or medical treatment is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. Both words, ''treatment'' and ''therapy'', are often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx. As a rule, each therapy has indications an ...

dance theater Concert dance (also known as performance dance or theatre dance in the United Kingdom) is dance performed for an audience. It is frequently performed in a theatre setting, though this is not a requirement, and it is usually choreographed and perf ...

Wheelchairs A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditions ...

in India. He is recognised for his pioneering theater productions for persons with special needs. In 2007 he received the National Award for the welfare of persons with disabilities in 2007-08 from

Pratibha Patil Pratibha Devisingh Patil (born 19 December 1934), also known as Pratibha Patil Shekhawat, is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the president of India from 2007 to 2012. She was the first woman to become the president of India. A m ...

. Pasha is a

Limca Book of Records The ''Limca Book of Records'' is an annual reference book published in India documenting world records held by Indians. The records are further categorised into education, literature, agriculture, medical science, business, sports, nature, adve ...

holder for creating 100 dance theater productions and directing over 10,000 performances with people of different – abilities. His student Gulshan Kumar entered in the

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

for spinning his wheelchair 63 times in one minute in 2011. Pasha is a trained and established

Dancer. He is also an empanelled Bharatnatyam, Kathak and theater artist with the

Indian Council for Cultural Relations The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India's global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people. It was founded on 9 April ...

, and an 'A Grade' Dancer of

Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...

, India's National Television Channel. Pasha's group has staged more than 10,000 shows worldwide with disabled dancers, including on

International Yoga Day The International Day of Yoga is a day in recognition of Yoga that is List of International Days of Yoga, celebrated around the world annually on 21 June following its adoption by the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations in 2014. ...

in June, 2015.

Life and career

Syed Sallauddin Pasha, born in 1968, hails from a family of

healers Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices ar ...

from

Anekal Anekal (ಆನೇಕಲ್) is a major town and taluk of Bengaluru Urban district, part of the Bangalore Metropolitan Region. It is a major town in the suburbs of Bangalore, Bengaluru. The Chandapura-Anekal stretch is an emerging residential hu ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. As a child, he enacted lead roles in

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

plays and Studied

Carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha. It is o ...

from TS Ramamani. He studied

under late K. P. Kittappa Pillai,

S. Narmada S. Narmada (22 September 1942 – 30 March 2007) popularly known as Guru Narmada was a Bharatanatyam exponent and teacher from Karnataka, India. She received several awards including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy ...

and Padmini Rao and

under late

Maya Rao Maya Rao (2 May 1928 – 1 September 2014) was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and educator, in Kathak dance. She is known for her pioneering work in Kathak choreography, especially in dance ballets, and is credited for bringing Kat ...

. He graduated as a Choreographer from Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography,

Bangalore University Bangalore University (BU) is a public state university in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The university is a part of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and affiliated by University Gra ...

and Pasha studied Pharmacy and registered as pharmacist from Karnataka State Pharmacy Council. He has worked with Theater and Film personalities of the country like

B.V. Karanth Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth (19 September 1929 – 1 September 2002) widely known as B. V. Karanth was an Indian film director, playwright, actor, screenwriter, composer, and dramatist known for his works in the Kannada theatre, Kannada cine ...

M.S. Sathyu Mysore Shrinivas Sathyu (born 6 July 1930) is a film director, stage designer and art director from India. He is best known for his directorial '' Garm Hava'' (1973), which was based on the partition of India. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1975. ...

Garm Hava ''Garm Hava'' (translation: Hot Winds or Scorching Winds) is a 1973 Indian drama film directed by M. S. Sathyu, with Balraj Sahni as the lead actor. It was written by Kaifi Azmi and Shama Zaidi, based on an unpublished short story by note ...

fame and

Renuka Sharma Renuka Sharma (1939 – 5 May 2021) was a director who worked in Kannada cinema. He was known for his mythological and historical films. He debuted as director with the film '' Anupama'' starring Anant Nag and Madhavi. Death He died from COVI ...

, actors Vishnuvardhan and

Ramesh Aravind Ramesh Aravind (born 10 September 1964), known mononymously as Ramesh, is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter and television presenter. Ramesh has predominantly worked in Kannada and Tamil films along with a few Telugu and Hindi films. He ...

. He also runs a non profit organization by the name of Ability Unlimited, dedicated for persons with

disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physica ...

Performances and reviews

Pasha has promoted dance and movement therapy for people with special needs. He directed Europe's biggest therapeutic theater project Ramayana on Wheels with 108 Finnish special children and adults, in collaboration with

Espoo Espoo (, ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsi ...

, which was performed at International Theater Festival. He has also conducted therapeutic workshops for tsunami victims. He has also orchestrated Durga and Martial Arts on Wheels with 200 disabled children and adults. His dance productions include Bharatanatyam on wheelchairs, Sufi dance on wheelchairs, Yoga on wheelchairs, Bhagawad Gita on wheelchairs, Ramayana on wheels, Rumi on Wheels, Chariots of the Gods, wheelchair on wings. Pasha has presented his dance performances at Rastrapati Bhavan for the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

Pranab Mukherjee Pranab Kumar Mukherjee ( ; born, 11 December 1935 – 31 August 2020) was an Indian statesman who served as the president of India from 2012 until 2017. He was the first person from West Bengal to hold the post of President of India. In a pol ...

. His Miracle on Wheels show for the United Nation Information Centre and Indian Council for UN Relations on 2 May 2015 at

FICCI The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in India. History Established in 1927, on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi by Indian businessman G.D. Birla a ...

auditorium, New Delhi on the anniversary of

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights instrument, international human rights multilateral treaty, treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with Disabil ...

. Pasha presented his Miracle on wheel performance for Taj Mahotsav in February, 2015. He has also presented Kathak Dance Performance in conjunction with the exhibition of "Islamic Art of India" on the occasion of the exhibition launching in March, 2002 at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, officiated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia,

Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad (; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author and doctor who was respectively the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. He was the ...

and for the special performance graced by His Majesty

Sirajuddin of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin ibni Almarhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail ( Jawi: توانكو سيد سراج الدين ابن المرحوم توانكو سيد ڤوترا جمل الليل; born 17 May 1943) is the current Raja of Perlis, reign ...

, King of Malaysia.

Work in film and television

Syed Sallauddin Pasha With Formar President of India Dr

Pasha choreographed Chande Pe Dance song for a special episode on the Persons with disabilities in the first season of

Aamir Khan Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and television personality who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. Referred to as "Mr. Perfectionist" in the media, he is known for his work in a variety of film g ...

's TV series Satyamev Jayate. He has acted as Saint

Shishunala Sharif Santha Shishunala Sharif was an Indian saint, social reformer, philosopher and poet. Birth and early life Santa Shishunala Sharif was born as Mahammad Sharif on 7 March 1819 in Shishuvinahala, a village in Shigganvi (now Shiggaon) taluk ( ...

tele-serial, Eshwaran Alla Nine Yalla directed by Renuka Sharama. He acted in the Kannada Film

Parva Alpha-parvin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''PARVA'' gene In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcrib ...

with late Kannada superstar Dr.Vishnuvardhan. He danced for

's doordarshan serial Kayar in 1992. This serial was based on the novel

Kayar ''Kayar'' () is a 1978 Malayalam epic novel written by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai. Widely considered one of the most seminal works in Malayalam literature, ''Kayar'' received many major literary awards, including the Vayalar Award. Plot su ...

originally written in Malayalam by

Jnanpith The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian w ...

awardee

Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (17 April 1912 – 10 April 1999), popularly known as Thakazhi after his place of birth, was an Indian novelist and short story writer of Malayalam literature. He wrote over 30 novels and novellas and over 600 s ...

in 1978. "The novel traces the evolution of the central Travancore society from the early 19th century to the mid-twentieth century. In his masterpiece Kayar (1978) Thakazhi Sivashankara Pillai tells a story spanning more than 200 years, of the rise and fall of different communities in his birth place Kuttanad. While being the history of a region, Kayar captures the essence of the revolutionary shifts in Kerala history, with reference to the changing pattern of land holding."

Awards and recognition

Karnataka Kalashree Syed Sallauddin Pasha

* 1994 Proclamation from City o
Marion IndianaUSA
for presenting First Classical Dances of Indi

Day * 1995 – 1998 Member o
Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy
Nominated b
Government of Karnataka
India. * 2001 Award fro
Governor of Karnataka
V. S. Ramadevi, V.S.Rama Devi for his outstanding contribution and service for th
persons with disabilities
* 2002 Certificate of Appreciation fro
Islamic Art Museum Malaysia
launched b
Prime Minister of Malaysia
Dato' Seri Dr Mahathir bin Mohammed and Graced by His Majesty, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Ibni-Al Marhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, King of Malaysia and his Queen. * 2003 Recognition from Espoo (ESBO) city cultural services for creating Ramayana for more 100 special need children from Finland. * 2005 Certificate of Appreciation fro
Action Aid International
for conducting Therapeutic Theatre Play/Workshop for

Tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

affected people at Andaman and Nicobar Islands * 2006 Certificate of Recognition fro
Town of HempsteadNew YorkUSA
* 2007 National Award for the welfare of persons with disabilities by the

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is a Government of India Ministry (government department), ministry. It is responsible for welfare spending, welfare, social justice and empowerment of disadvantaged and marginalised sections of soc ...

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

. * 2008 Sanskriti Foundation Award for Social cultural achievement * 2010 Karmaveer Puraskaar Noble Laureate * 2012 Attendance award, given by India's only year-book on dance, under category

Uday Shankar Uday Shankar (born Uday Shankar Choudhary; 8 December 1900 – 26 September 1977) was an Indian dancer and choreographer, best known for creating a fusion style of dance, adapting European theatrical techniques to Indian classical dance, imbu ...

Choreography award, which recognizes a Choreographer who has set the tone for new directions in

Indian dance Dance in India comprises numerous styles of dances, generally classified as classical or folk. As with other aspects of Indian culture, different forms of dances originated in different parts of India, developed according to the local tradition ...

. * 2015 He was chosen for the Alva's Nudisiri Award of social services, * 2020 He has been appointed as Syndicate Member o
Karnataka State Dr. Gangubhai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University
Mysore. * 2024 His three decades of innovative work in Classical Wheelchair Dance has been officially recognized as certific ate and diploma courses b
Karnataka State Dr. Gangubhai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University, Mysore
* 2024 He received th
Karnataka Kalashree Award
a State Akademi Award and the highest civilian award from th
Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy
and th
Department of Kannada and Culture
under th
Government of Karnataka
* 2024 He received the

Kannada Rajyotsava Karnataka Rajyotsava, also known as Karnataka State Day or Kannada Day with the NRI community, is a public holiday celebrated annually on 1 November in the Indian state of Karnataka. It commemorates the merger in 1956 of the Kannada-speaking r ...

Award from the

Administration in the presence of

Tahsildar
MLA Shivanna
and

Town President on 1 November 2024 * 2025 Guru Syed Sallauddin Pasha has been awarded the prestigious D.Litt (Doctor of Literature) for his groundbreaking thesis, “ Natyashastra On Wheels for

Persons with Disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

,” b
Karnataka State Dr. Gangubhai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

. The award ceremony was held in the august presence of Vice-Chancello
Nagesh C. Bettakote
Dr. M.C. Sudhakar
Minister for Higher Education

Government of Karnataka The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as GoK or GoKA, formerly known as Government of Mysore (1956–1974), is a democratically elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka ...

, Shrinivasa Varakhedi,

Vice-Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

Central Sanskrit University Central Sanskrit University, formerly Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, is a multi campus Sanskrit language central university headquartered in New Delhi, India. It serves as the central agency for implementing Sanskrit-related policies and scheme ...

, Delhi and other esteemed dignitaries on 18.01.2025 at

Mysuru Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pasha, Syed Sallauddin Indian male dancers Kathak exponents Indian dance teachers Indian classical choreographers 1968 births Living people People from Bengaluru Urban district Dancers from Karnataka