Jhelum Paranjape

🪔 About

Jhelum Paranjape, born on September 24, 1954, is a distinguished Indian classical Odissi dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She initially pursued an M.Sc. in Statistics and worked as a Mathematics Professor before dedicating herself entirely to dance. Her early dance journey involved performing in ballets staged by the Rashtra Seva Dal Kalapathak, under the direction of Vasant Bapat and tutelage of Shri Ramesh Purav. Since 1977, Paranjape has focused on Odissi dance, beginning her training with Guru Shankar Behera. She later became a disciple of the legendary Padmavibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, training with him for over two decades. In 1989, she founded Smitalay, a prominent dance academy in Mumbai, India, established in memory of her friend and mentor, actress Smita Patil. Paranjape is celebrated for her significant contributions to the field of classical dance, particularly in preserving and promoting Odissi traditions. She is known for her innovative choreography and her efforts to make Odissi accessible to a broader audience by experimenting with Marathi and Hindi compositions, while maintaining the classical idioms of the form. Her work extends to recreating traditional Odissi repertoire in group formats and undertaking choreography assignments for various performing arts. She is an 'A' grade artist of Doordarshan and empanelled by the ICCR. Smitalay, under her direction, offers a comprehensive five-year Odissi course and is recognized as the first Odissi dance school in Mumbai from the lineage of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Awards & Honours: Kumar Gandharva Award for choreography in Odissi, Sanjukta Panigrahi Award, Rotary Award for vocational excellence, Mahari Award (2005), Maharashtra Rajya Sanskritik Puraskar, Kanaka Nartana Puraskar, Vidya Vibhushan award, Award from Nalanda Dance Research Centre.