Smita Shastri

🪔 About

Smita Shastri, born on January 1, 1946, in Kolkata, West Bengal, is a leading exponent of Indian classical dance, primarily Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam. She began her intensive training in temple dances in the Kuchipudi style in 1963, having already completed her Bharatanatyam arangetram in 1962. Her extensive training includes Kuchipudi under the tutelage of esteemed gurus such as Chatunni Panikar, Kitappa Pillai, C.R. Acharyalu, and K. Kalyanasundaram. She also received initial Bharatanatyam training at the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts under Guru Chatunni Panicker and later from Guru Kittappa Pillai, and briefly studied Kathakali at the Darpana Academy. Additionally, she trained in classical music under Pradipta Ganguli. Academically, Smita Shastri holds a B.A. in Economics and Statistics and an M.A. in Sociology and Psychology. She has applied her research skills to a comparative study of temple walls in Gujarat and South Indian states and has conducted extensive research on the folk dances of Gujarat, successfully reviving many. In 1971, she founded the Nartan School of Classical Dances in Ahmedabad, imparting authentic training in Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam. She has performed internationally, including at Columbia University in New York, and has been interviewed and featured by Bristol Radio and the BBC, London. Smita Shastri has also served as a board member of the Central Dance Audition Board of Doordarshan and was the youngest Chairperson of the Gujarat State Sangeet Natak Academy. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Award (2023), Gujarat Ratna Gaurav Award, Singarmani.