Vijay Shanker

🪔 About

Guru Vijay Shanker is a distinguished figure in Indian classical dance, recognized as a professional Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, dance teacher, choreographer, actor, and arts critic, with a career spanning over four decades. Born to Savithri Nair, an accomplished actress, singer, and dancer, he developed an early passion for performing arts. He initially trained in Kathakali, a dance form traditionally performed by men, and later pursued Kuchipudi, securing a scholarship from Soli Batliwala of Bhulabhai Memorial Institute. His Kuchipudi debut took place in 1986. In 1988, he received guidance from the renowned Padmashri Raja and Radha Reddy, and was notably the sole male student featured in their documentary film. Beyond his performances, Guru Vijay Shanker is highly acclaimed for his lecture-demonstrations on Indian classical dancing, which he utilizes to promote national integration and global peace across various educational institutions and organizations. He is also a prolific bilingual journalist and arts critic, contributing extensively to national and international publications such as the Times of India, Indian Express, Mid-day, Femina magazine, and Narthaki.com. His versatility extends to acting, having played the lead role in the Malayalam telefilm "Remanen" and appearing in character roles in Hindi, Marathi, and English serials and films. Awards & Honours: Maharashtra Samaj Bhushan Puraskar, Vishnu Kaineetam award, Appreciation award, WOW Iconic award (2022), Shri Bal Gangadhar Tilak Samman (2024), Nalanda Nartana Puraskar.