Alokananda Chakladar was born in Kolkata on 25th March 1951. Her father, Himangshu Chakladar, was in the West Bengal Govt. administration and her mother, Devi Chakladar, was an eminent singer and teacher of Rabindra Sangeet, though she refused being a professional singer. Alokananda was the younger of the two children, preceded by her elder brother Abhijit.
Her education begun in St. John Diocesan Girls’ School, until and later transferred to Modern High School. She did not quite appreciate the strict regime of school life, as a youngster. In school she was fond of sports and extra-curricular activities.
Inheriting Music from her mother, the childhood and growing-up years were always in a musical environment. While her mother was a teacher at the Dakshini school of music, she introduced Alokananda to Rabindra Sangeet at the early age of seven.
However the love of her life remains constant as, Dance. As far back as she can remember, she always wanted to dance. Her aspiration was well appreciated and supported by her parents. She got associated with the CLT (Children’s Little Theatre) at an early age and was her favourite place to be in. Her very first performance was a solo dance, at the age of 4, in 1955 at Rabindra Mela, Jorasanko on the occasion of Tagore’s birthday. Followed by her performances at the CLT, with Jijo , a Japanese folk lore and many dance dramas, got her noticed as child artist.
