ABSTRACT
In February 1951, Louise Lightfoot, then 49 years old, “sailed straight to Bombay” to meet Rajkumar Priyagopal Singh (Rajkumar Priya Gopal Sana). Louise had previously met and seen Priyagopal, an expert Manipuri dancer, who performed in Calcutta [Kolkata] at Santiniketan, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's institute. Dance historian and theorist Uttara Asha Coorlawala has argued that such an open appeal on the part of Indian artists signifies a hunger for “international exposure” and a desire to achieve “dignity” or a sense of cultural identity for India—“a battered nation emerging from centuries of economic and cultural exploitation”. Letters between Priyagopal and Louise highlight the differences that must have started developing during their Australian tour. The Australian Mission was supportive and after several weeks the author was able to convince the Australian Government of serious condition and get some money sent to Japan for living expenses.
