Nisha Mahajan

🪔 About

Nisha Mahajan is a senior Kathak exponent, teacher, choreographer, and Yoga practitioner, renowned for her integrated approach to dance and life. She resumed her Kathak training in New Delhi in 1979 after a 16-year hiatus, having initially pursued post-graduation in physics and taught the subject for seven years before making a complete switch to Kathak. Her foundational Kathak training was primarily under Guru Munna Shukla and, at regular intervals, under Guru Rohini Bhate in Pune. Concurrently, she delved into Hindustani classical vocal music, learning from Irene Roy Choudhry and Pandit Amarnath, and currently continues her vocal studies with Rakesh Pathak. She also acknowledges Nibha Joshi, Guru Reba Vidyarthi, Shri Jiwan Pani, Habib Tanvir, and Kamalini Dutt as significant mentors who shaped her artistic journey. Her deep understanding of Yoga stems from her training under Pandit Shambhunath, who introduced her to the discipline during her early stages of training at the Kathak Kendra, New Delhi. In 1999, Mahajan co-founded TYAAG (The Yoga and Art Group) in New Delhi with creative educationist Shiladitya Ghosh, establishing a platform rooted in the guru-shishya parampara. TYAAG is distinguished by its unique teaching module that interweaves Kathak with vocal music, yoga, and tabla knowledge, aiming to initiate even very young children into dance through a play-way method. Mahajan serves as the principal dance and yoga trainer, emphasizing that dance encompasses philosophy, psychology, emotion, and spiritual consciousness. The organization celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018, highlighting its sustained contribution to integrated learning. Mahajan's directorial work includes "Purush and Prakriti," a commendable production presented by Akriti Kathak Kendra, Hyderabad, which explores the connection between Kathak and Yoga for a balanced and holistic life, a concept conceived by her late Yoga guru, Pandit Shambhunath. She is widely recognized as a Kathak Educationalist, advocating for the importance of tuning the dancer's mind and body as the primary instrument, focusing on the process rather than just the product.