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Years of Experience
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Followers
❖ Guru Parampara ❖
Vaitheeswarankoil Sethuramu Muthuswamy Pillai
Guru
Guru
Saroja (B.S. Saroja)
About
Saroja Vaidyanathan (née Dharmarajan), a revered Indian classical dancer, choreographer, guru, and author, was born on September 19, 1937, in Bellary, Karnataka. She passed away on September 21, 2023, in New Delhi, India, at the age of 86, after battling cancer. Her initial training in Bharatanatyam began at a young age at the Saraswati Gana Nilayam in…
Journey Timeline
1937
Born — Born in Bellary, Karnataka on September 19.
1972
Began teaching dance — Started teaching children dance at home after moving to Delhi.
1974
Founded Ganesa Natyalaya — Established her dance institution in Delhi.
1988
Ganesa Natyalaya building constructed — The academy's building was built in the Qutab Institutional Area.
2002
Conferred Padma Shri — Received the Padma Shri award from the Government of India.
2002
Cultural tour of South East Asia — Accompanied Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to the ASEAN Summit.
2006
Conferred 'Bharata Kalai Sudar' — Received the title 'Bharata Kalai Sudar'.
2009
Choreographed for Queen's Baton Relay — Created a Bharatanatyam cultural segment for the event.
2010
Choreographed for Commonwealth Games — Created a cultural segment for the XIX Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony.
2013
Conferred Padma Bhushan — Received the Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India.
2014
Produced Bharatanatyam DVD — Compiled and produced a DVD based on the fundamentals and nuances of Bharatanatyam.
2016
Choreographed for World Cultural Festival — Composed, choreographed, and directed a Bharatanatyam segment for 1700 dancers.
2017
Choreographed for Pravasi Bharatiya Divas — Choreographed and directed a cultural event for the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru.
2017
Ganesa Natyalaya sets record — Awarded Record Breaking certificate for the Longest (27hr 30 mins) Bharatanatyam Dance Marathon Relay.
2023
Passed away — Passed away on September 21, at the age of 86.
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Awards & Honors
- 2002 · Padma Shri — Government of India
- 2013 · Padma Bhushan — Government of India
- Sahitya Kala Parishad Samman — Government of Delhi
- Kalaimamani — Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award — Sangeet Natak Akademi
- 2006 · Bharata Kalai Sudar
- Kalidas Samman — Government of Madhya Pradesh
- Vayo Sreshta Samman Award — Government of India
- Ambassador of Peace — IIFWP
- Kalpana Chawla Excellence Award
- Acharya Choodamani award — Chennai
- Lifetime Achievement award — Vishakapatnam
- Mutthirai Pathitha Award — Karur, Tamil Nadu
- Annual Award for Senior Guru — Narada Gana Sabha Trust, Chennai
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