Rajee Natarajan

🪔 About

Guru Smt. Rajee Narayan (born August 19, 1931, in Chennai; died September 25, 2020, in Gurgaon, New Delhi) was a distinguished Bharatanatyam dancer, musician, composer, and choreographer based in Mumbai, India. Raised in an environment rich in fine arts, she was the eleventh child of Sri S. Narayana Iyer and Smt. Gangammal, a renowned singer. Rajee began her Bharatanatyam training at the age of five under her elder sister, Neela Balasubramaniam, founder of Nataraja Natya Niketan, and K. Lalitha of Saraswathy Gana Nilayam, Chennai. She performed her Bharatanatyam Arangetram at age nine. Her musical journey began even earlier, recording the Telugu composition 'Neraminchakura' at barely four and a half years old. She also acted and sang in movies produced by her father, such as Shakti Maya, Bala Bhaktan, and Sant Eknath. Rajee Narayan started learning Carnatic music from her sister Sulochana at age seven and later from Sangeeta Vidwan Sri Thuraiyoor M. Rajagopala Sarma and Sri C. R. Subbaraman. After her marriage in 1950, she settled in Madurai and began teaching dance and music as a hobby. In 1965, she established her dance institution, Nritya Geethanjali, in Mumbai. She was known for her unique ability to teach Bharatanatyam, Carnatic Music, Natyasastra, and Nattuvangam. Rajee Narayan also served as a board member of the University of Mumbai for over two decades and as an external examiner for Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. degrees in Fine Arts. She composed over 200 songs for Bharatanatyam and authored books like "Nritya Geetamala" (two volumes), "Sangeeta Shastra Mala," and "Natya Shastra Mala." Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Tagore Akademi Puraskar, Sangeetha Sikshamani, Swar Sadhna Ratna, M. S. Subbulakshmi Award.