Ananda Shankar Jayant

🪔 About

Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant is a celebrated Indian classical dancer, choreographer, scholar, and bureaucrat, renowned for her proficiency in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. Born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in 1961, she began her classical dance training at the age of four. In 1972, at the age of eleven, she joined Kalakshetra, where she underwent rigorous training in Bharatanatyam under esteemed gurus such as Padma Balagopal, Sharada Hoffman, and Krishnaveni Laxman. After six years, she earned her diploma and post-graduate diploma in Bharatanatyam, Carnatic music, veena, dance theory, and philosophy. Upon returning to Hyderabad at age 17, she founded Shankarananda Kalakshetra in 1979, an institution dedicated to classical arts. She further honed her skills in Kuchipudi under Pasumarthy Ramalinga Shastry. Beyond her artistic pursuits, Ananda Shankar Jayant is also a distinguished bureaucrat, being the first woman officer in the Indian Railway Traffic Service on South Central Railway. A breast cancer survivor, her 2009 TED Talk, where she shared her journey of battling the illness through dance, is highly acclaimed and ranked among the top motivational talks on cancer. She has choreographed numerous dance productions, including "What About Me?" (1999), "Dancing Tales - Panchatantra," "Navarasa - Expressions of Life," and "Tales from the Bull and the Tiger" (2019). She also holds a Master's degree in Ancient Indian History, an M.Phil in Art History, and a Ph.D. in Tourism. Awards & Honours: Padma Shri (2007), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2009), Kalaimamani Award, Kala Ratna Award (2008), Nritya Choodamani (2006), Natya Illavarasi (2004), Nritya Kalasagara (2007), Natya Kalasagar (2010), Guru Debaprasad Award (2015), Devi Award for Dynamism and Innovation (2015), Nritya Saraswati (2015), Vishwakalabharati award (2016), Saarthak Nari Awards (2016), Vidya Tapasvi (2013), Aadar Kalai Selvam (2001).