Gulabo Sapera Height, Age, Husband, Children, Family, Biography » StarsUnfolded

Bio/Wiki
Birth Name	Dhanvantri
Other Name	Gulabi
Nickname	Mother of Kalbeliya dance
Profession	Dancer
Known For	Introducing and promoting Kalbaliya dance form internationally
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5′ 3″ (160 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Salt and Pepper
Career
Debut	TV: Bigg Boss Season 5 (2011) as a contestant
Awards, Honours, Achievements	• Padma Shri Award (2016) • Bharat Gaurav Award (2021) • Genius Indian Achiever’s Award (2025)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	9 November 1973 (Friday)
Age (as of 2025)	52 Years
Birthplace	Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
Zodiac Sign	Scorpio
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Ajmer, Rajasthan
Religion	Hinduism
Tribe	Kalbeliya
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook • YouTube • Twitter
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Family
Husband/Spouse	Sohan Nath (musician)
Children	Son(s)– 2 • Dinesh • Bhawani Daughter(s)– 3 • Rakhi • Hema • Roopa
Parents	Father– (deceased) (Snake Charmer)
Siblings	Brother(s)– 3 Sister(s)– 3

Some Lesser Known Facts About Gulabo Sapera

• Gulabo Sapera is an internationally renowned Rajasthani folk Kalbeliya dancer. She is recognized for introducing and popularizing the Kalbeliya dance. Not only the dance form but the costume of the dance form was also designed by Gulabo herself, which is now a hallmarked costume for this folk dance.

• She was born and raised in Kalbeliya tribe in Ajmer, Rajasthan. Out of 7 children of her parents she is the youngest child.
  

  Childhood picture of Gulabo Sapera

• In an interview, Gulabo revealed that being a girl child, the women who helped in her birthing buried her without the consent of her parents. They believed that Gulabo would be a burden to her family which already had three daughters. Her father, who was a snake charmer was out for his work when she was born.

• She added that when her mother came to know about the incident she immediately rushed to place where Gulabo was buried. She dug her out only to found out if Gulabo was breathing or not. Luckily, she was still breathing.

• After her mother saved her, a panchayat was held and her parents were socially boycotted for not killing her as per the custom of their community.

• Her father, who was a devotee of Goddess Durga loved all her daughters deeply, stood firm and said,

yeh toh mata hai, hum isko kaise maar sakte hai.”

• At the time of birth, she was named, Dhanvantri. In an interview, Gulabo revealed the once she fell very ill and was lying on the lap of her father. Her father saw a pink rose petal on her chest and started calling her Gulabi, which later become Gulabo.

• When she was six months old, her father started taking her with him in one of his baskets for his shows. In an interview, she shared that,

We lived in Kotda village near Ajmer; my father would often visit Jaipur and other nearby cities for his performances. So I grew up watching the snakes, observing them, playing with them… I was never scared.”

• By the time she was one or one-and-a-half year old, she had started dancing like the snakes. In an interview, she revealed that father used to feed her the leftover milk that was served to the snakes by the villagers.

• When she turned six, the community members warned her father that they would expel him from the community if he did not stop his daughter from dancing.

• Despite the objections from her community, her parents allowed her dancing and practicing Kalbeliya dance. Her mother even started taking her to perform in small functions secretly, that would help her financially.

• When she was seven years old, her breakthrough came when she performed in Pushkar Mela in 1981. Few representatives of Rajasthan Tourism Department noticed Gulabo’ dance move and asked her to perform in front of group of foreigners. Despite the displeasure form her community, she accepted their offer and won appreciations.

• Later Rajasthan Tourism Department offered her the chance to participate in various cultural programmes in Rajasthan and all over India. She began to perform on TV shows and from there she got an opportunity to go abroad for tours.

• When Gulabo was 13 years old, she got the opportunity to perform in Washington DC, USA. After her performance, she was also featured in the leading newspaper in the USA and India. After this her community’s attitude towards her also changed and they started respecting her and her dance.

• In an interview, Gulabo mentioned that in Kalbeliya tribe, girls are not allowed to pursue formal education at that time, so she did not attend any formal school.

• In 1985, when Gulabo was 17 years old, she got another opportunity to perform in Washington for the Festival of India. In an interview, she mentioned that when she was just about to leave for the USA, her father passed away. She added that,

Again, my community members told me I can’t leave until the 13 days have passed. But I went, knowing that it was my father’s dream — he defied the community for me all his life.”

A younger age picture of Gulabo Sapera

• Impressed by her performance her promoters in the USA offered her a permanent resident and asked her to taught folk dance to interested students there. However, Gulabo did not accept their offer and moved back to India after two months.

• In 1986, she was appointed as the ambassador of the folk heritage of Rajasthan and president of All India Kalbeliya Community.

• She got opportunites to serve as faculty for numerous institutions in several countries including Denmark and France. She also owned a house and a school in Denmark.

• Gulabo has performed in more than 145 countries.

• In an interview, she mentioned that she used to tie symbolic Rakhi to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, until he breathed last.

• In 2011, she participated in Bigg Boss Season 5; however, she got eliminated in the second week.
  

  Gulabo Sapera with Sanjay Dutt on the set of Bigg Boss Season 5

• Gulabo’s husband, Sohan Nath is a musician, who plays tabla and sings folk songs. They got married in 1986, Gulabo was 13 years old at that time.

• In 2016, Gulabo was awarded with Padma Shri for her contribution to the world of dance.
  

  Gulabo Sapera, while receiving Padam Shri Award in 2016 from them President Pranab Mukherjee

• In 2018, she started a dancing school named Gulabi Sapera Sangeet Sansthan in Jaipur and later in 2021, in Pushkar.

• Gulabo has a huge fan following in abroad. She has also collaborated with French artists and made CDs.

• A book titled, Gulabo Sapera: She Dances On Her Grave, on Gulabo’s life was written in French by Thierry Robin and Véronique Guillien.
  

  The cover of book titled, Gulabo Sapera: She Dances On Her Grave

• In 2025, a documentary titled “Gulabo Sapera: The Dancing Wind of Change (2025)” was also made. It was reported that in France a street is dedicated to her name.
  

  The poster of documentary, “Gulabo Sapera: The Dancing Wind of Change” made on Gulabo Sapera

• Gulabo Sapera has featured in Bollywood, Rajasthani and Hollywood films.

• One of Gulabo’s sons is in the same profession like his mother. Her elder daughter, Rakhi also perform Kalbeliya dance professionally, she is also an actress in Rajasthani film industry.
  

  Gulabo Sapera, while performing with her son, Dinesh