15 Facts About Saroja Vaidyanathan

Saroja Vaidyanathan was an Indian choreographer, guru, and notable proponent of Bharatanatyam.

Saroja Vaidyanathan was conferred the Padma Shri in 2002 and the Padma Bhushan in 2013 by the Government of India.

Saroja Vaidyanathan was born in Bellary, Karnataka, on 19 September 1937.

Saroja Vaidyanathan received her initial training in Bharatanatyam at the Saraswati Gana Nilayam in Chennai and later studied under guru Kattumannar Muthukumaran Pillai of Thanjavur.

Saroja Vaidyanathan gave up dancing after her marriage, following conservative and adverse reactions to her performing in public venues and took instead to teaching children dance at home.

Saroja Vaidyanathan was monetarily supported by well wishers and sponsors and the building for the Natyalaya was built at the Qutab Institutional Area in 1988.

Saroja Vaidyanathan was a prolific choreographer and had to her credit ten full-length ballets and nearly two thousand individual Bharatanatyam pieces.

Saroja Vaidyanathan undertook a cultural tour of South East Asia in 2002, accompanying Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to the ASEAN Summit in 2002.

Saroja Vaidyanathan had published her renditions of Subramania Bharati's songs and poems and set some of her works to dance.

The couple had a son, Kamesh and their daughter-in-law Rama Saroja Vaidyanathan is a well-known Bharatanatyam artist of international fame.

Saroja's grand-daughter, Dakshina Vaidyanathan Baghel, is a sought-after Indian classical dancer.

Saroja Vaidyanathan died from cancer on 21 September 2023, two days after her 86th birthday.

Saroja Vaidyanathan was conferred the Padma Shri in 2002 and the Padma Bhushan in 2013.

Saroja Vaidyanathan is the recipient of the Sahitya Kala Parishad Samman of the Government of Delhi, the Kalaimamani title bestowed by the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

Saroja Vaidyanathan was conferred the title of 'Bharata Kalai Sudar' in 2006.