Navtej Singh Johar

🪔 About

Navtej Singh Johar is a distinguished Indian Bharatanatyam exponent, choreographer, yoga practitioner, scholar, and a prominent LGBTQ activist. Born on August 8, 1959, in Jalandhar, Punjab, he received his foundational Bharatanatyam training at the esteemed Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai, following the tradition of Rukmini Devi Arundale. He further honed his skills under Leela Samson at the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra in New Delhi and pursued advanced studies in performance at New York University. Johar's choreographic work is celebrated for its innovative fusion of traditional Bharatanatyam with contemporary expressions, integrating yoga and somatic principles. His approach is deeply body-centric, merging practice with critical theory and social action, and exploring the philosophical and sociological discourses of the body. In 2001, he founded Studio Abhyas in New Delhi, a non-profit institution dedicated to training in Bharatanatyam, yoga, and Vedic chanting, emphasizing interdisciplinary practice. He further established the Abhyas Trust in 2004, focusing on advancing yoga, dance pedagogy, humane urban design, and animal welfare initiatives. A pivotal figure in India's LGBTQ rights movement, Johar was the lead petitioner in the landmark 2018 Supreme Court case, Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India. This historic ruling decriminalized consensual homosexual acts between adults by striking down parts of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, affirming constitutional rights to equality, privacy, and dignity for the LGBTQ community. His activism extends to environmental education and urban initiatives, reflecting a broad commitment to social change. Johar has performed and lectured globally, collaborating with artists such as composers Stephen Rush and Shubha Mudgal, and installation artist Sheba Chhachhi. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Contemporary Choreography (2014), Times of India Fellowship (1995), Charles Wallace Fellowship (1999), Sri Krishna Gana Sabha Award for abhinaya (2010), Research fellowship at "Interweaving Performance Cultures", Freie University, Berlin.