Radhika Jha

🪔 About

Radhika Jha, born in New Delhi in 1970, is an accomplished Indian novelist and a trained practitioner of Indian classical dance. Her early life saw her grow up in Mumbai, and she later experienced diverse cultures through living in cities such as Tokyo and Beijing, before settling in Athens with her ambassador husband and two children. Academically, Jha pursued anthropology at Amherst College and obtained a master's degree in political science from the University of Chicago. Her connection to dance runs deep, as her mother was a Bharatanatyam dancer, a form Radhika Jha herself learned during her childhood. She later returned to her dance studies in her early thirties, including learning Bharatanatyam from a Chinese teacher in Beijing. Radhika Jha is a trained Odissi dancer, having received instruction from Guru Surendra Jaji. She actively composes and performs Odissi dance. Demonstrating her commitment to sharing this art form, Jha began teaching the fundamentals of Indian classical dance as an eminent Odissi dancer at the Consulate General of India in New York, with weekly classes commencing in September 2022. While she is widely recognized for her literary achievements, notably winning the French Prix Guerlain award in 2002 for her debut novel "Smell," her engagement with classical dance remains a significant aspect of her artistic identity. Prior to her literary and dance pursuits, Jha worked as a journalist for publications like Hindustan Times and Business World, and contributed to social development initiatives at the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. Awards & Honours: Prix Guerlain (2002).