Rajee Narayan

🪔 About

Guru Smt. Rajee Narayan (born August 19, 1931, in Chennai, British Raj; died September 25, 2020, in Gurgaon, New Delhi, India) was a distinguished Bharatanatyam dancer, musician, composer, and choreographer. She was the eleventh child of S. Narayana Iyer and Gangammal, growing up in an environment rich in fine arts. Rajee Narayan began her Bharatanatyam training at age five under her elder sister, Neela Balasubramaniam, and K. Lalitha of Sri Saraswathi Gana Nilayam. Her Bharatanatyam Arangetram took place at age nine. She also studied Carnatic music from her sister Sulochana starting at age seven and later from Sangeeta Vidwan Sri Thuraiyoor M. Rajee Narayan also explored Kathak, light Hindustani music, piano, and Western dances. As a child artist, she commercially recorded compositions at four and a half years old and acted and sang in her father's films. She performed for various fund-raising events during World War II. In 1950, after her marriage, she began teaching dance and music as a hobby in Madurai. She settled in Mumbai in 1965 and established her renowned institution, Nritya Geethanjali. Rajee Narayan was a rare combination of guru, musician, composer, and choreographer, with the unique distinction of teaching Bharatanatyam, Carnatic Music, Natyasastra, and Nattuvangam. She developed her own distinctive style, known as "Rajee-bani" or "Rajee Paddhati," which integrated elements from the Thanjavur and Pandanallur traditions. She composed over 200 songs for Bharatanatyam, publishing them in her books "Nritya Geetamala" (two volumes), and also authored "Sangeeta Shastra Mala" and "Natya Shastra Mala." Rajee Narayan served as a board member of the University of Mumbai for over two decades and was an external examiner for Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. degrees in Fine Arts courses. Awards & Honours: Kalavani (for Music) (1945), Kalavani (1954), Natya Tilakam (1963), Shreshta Kala Acharya (1976), Silver Plaque (for 25 years as a guru) (1977), Natana Kala Bhushanam (1981), Felicitated for meritorious service to fine arts (1983), Shreshta Kala Acharya for Nritya (1986), Lalitha Kala Ratnam (1993), Rajya Sanskrutik Puraskar (Nritya) (Lifetime Achievement Award) (1996), Nritya Kala Sudhakara, Felicitated during Bharatam Festival (1999), Lalitha Kala Ratna (1999), Sanmargadarshi (2001), Swar Sadhna Ratna (2006).