Shumita Mahajan

🪔 About

Guru Shumita Mahajan is a distinguished Indian classical dancer, guru, choreographer, dance critic, and scholar specializing in Bharatanatyam. Hailing from Pune, India, she is the Principal Founder of Sadhana Nrityalaya, a Bharatanatyam training institute established in 1991 with the aim of imparting traditional art form training to young enthusiasts. Mahajan began her Bharatanatyam training at the tender age of four under the late Guru Meenakshi Venkataraman, where she received sound training in the Pandanallur tradition. Subsequently, she continued her rigorous training at the prestigious Aradhana Gurukul under Guru Prerana Desai and later undertook advanced training under Guru Dr. Anjani Arunkumar in Mumbai. She completed her Arangetram in 1990. Throughout her career, Shumita Mahajan has represented India in numerous international festivals across the globe, earning significant acclaim. Her performances include leading a 20-member contingent to Italy for a Festival of India showcase in 1995 and a similar festival in France in 1997. She also had the rare distinction of performing at the World Science Congress held at the University of Pune in 1988. As a choreographer, Mahajan has created numerous acclaimed productions, including her first full-length dance ballet "Geet Ramayana" in 1996. Sadhana Nrityalaya, under her guidance, follows the Kalakshetra teaching pedagogy and has produced over 30 solo performing artists. She has also tutored MA dance students at Lalit Kala Kendra, Savitribai Phule University of Pune, where she taught dance criticism, and is a renowned dance critic for leading publication houses. Her contributions to Indian classical dance have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Puneri Salaam Award in 2018, the Jayadeva Rashtriya Sanman from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India in 2019, and the Nrutya Parijat Award from Sri Mariamman Devasthan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, also in 2019. Awards & Honours: Puneri Salaam Award (2018), Jayadeva Rashtriya Sanman (2019), Nrutya Parijat Award (2019).