Mallika Sarabhai is an Indian personality best known for her achievements in which of the following fields?

Introduction / Context:
Mallika Sarabhai is a prominent contemporary Indian figure whose work spans performance, activism and public life. However, competitive exams usually focus on the field in which she first gained national and international recognition. This question checks whether you can correctly associate her name with her principal art form, rather than her later roles in social issues or media.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The person in question is Mallika Sarabhai.
• We must identify the field for which she is best known.
• Options mention classical music, social service, classical dance, sports administration and acting.
• Exactly one option must reflect her core artistic identity.

Concept / Approach:
Mallika Sarabhai is widely recognised as an accomplished classical dancer. She is particularly known for Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi and has presented many dance-dramas with strong social and political themes. While she is also active in social causes, her primary public identity remains that of a dancer and choreographer. Therefore, the approach is to link her name to Indian classical dance rather than to music or sports.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Mallika Sarabhai is associated with the famous Sarabhai family of Ahmedabad and with the arts centre Darpana Academy. Step 2: Remember that she is frequently introduced as a Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer, who uses her performances to comment on social issues. Step 3: Compare her known profile with the options. Only the option mentioning classical dance (Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi) matches her main contribution. Step 4: Exclude classical vocal music, as she is not primarily a singer. Step 5: Recognise that although she engages in activism, social service is not the label most exam books use for her main field. Mark the classical dance option as correct.

Verification / Alternative check:
Think of how media articles and programme brochures describe her: phrases like “renowned dancer”, “Bharatanatyam exponent” and “Kuchipudi artiste” are standard. Her performances have toured globally, and she has received awards for dance, not for cricket administration or film acting. This consistent pattern across sources confirms that classical dance is the accurate association.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Classical music (vocal): She may use music in her performances, but she is not celebrated as a leading classical vocalist.
Social service: She is an activist on gender and social justice issues, yet her fame originally comes through dance, not as a full-time social worker.
Sports administration: No widely known connection exists between her and sports bodies.
Hindi cinema acting: She has appeared in some films and television projects, but that is not her main claim to fame.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes see her activism and immediately think of social service or politics. Another mistake is to mis-remember the discipline and assume she is a classical singer because her name appears in cultural contexts. To avoid errors, mentally tag: Mallika Sarabhai → classical dance → Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. This compact mapping is enough to answer most exam questions about her.

Final Answer:
Mallika Sarabhai is best known for her achievements in Classical dance (Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi).