Raja (born 6 October 1943) and Radha Reddy (born 15 February 1955) are an Indian Kuchipudi dancing couple,

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

s and choreographers. They are renowned as exponents of the South Indian dance form of Kuchipudi. They founded and run the Natya Tarangini Institute of Kuchipudi Dance in New Delhi. The duo are credited with having given Kuchipudi a new dimension without compromising on its traditional virtues. For their services to the field of arts, the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

has conferred on them the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

and

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

awards.

Early life and family

Raja Reddy was born on 6 October 1943 in Narasapur(g), while Radha Reddy was born on 15 February 1955 in Kotalgaon, Adilabad district of present-day

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

. Raja Reddy holds a Diploma in Choreography and has a bachelor's degree from the

Osmania University Osmania University is a collegiate university, collegiate Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad, issued a ''firman'' calling f ...

. Radha Reddy also has a Diploma in Choreography. In 2010 the duo were conferred honorary doctorates by the University of Hyderabad for their contributions to Kuchipudi. Raja Reddy is married to Radha and her sister Kaushalya, also a Kuchipudi dancer. Raja Radha Reddy and Kaushalya have two children Yamini and Bhavana Reddy, also Kuchipudi dancers.

Performing career

Raja Reddy's interest in Kuchipudi began in childhood as he watched performances of Kuchipudi Bhagavatam by touring folk troupes in his home district of

Adilabad Adilabad, also known as Edlawada and Eddulapuram, is a city which serves as the headquarters of Adilabad district, in the Indian state of Telangana. Telugu, Urdu, Marathi, Lambadi and Gondi are the most spoken languages of Adilabad. Adilabad ...

and later reached a turning point after he saw a performance of Vyjayanthimala’s ''Nagin''. Radha followed him into Kuchipudi after their wedding. The duo learnt Kuchipudi under their

Vedantam Prahalada Sarma of

Eluru Eluru ( ) is a city and the district headquarters of Eluru district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the List of municipal corporations in India#Andhra Pradesh, 14 municipal corporations ...

. In 1966, on a

Government of Andhra Pradesh The Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as GoAP, is the Administrative division, state government and the administrative body responsible for the governance of the States of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Amaravati is the capital ...

scholarship, they went to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

where they studied choreography and other stage arts under Guru Maya Rao at Natya Ballet Centre. Their talent was soon noted and they were invited to dance with doyen of the time including Indrani Rehman. Their first big break came in 1970 when their performance at the Theatre Tamil Nadu was widely well reviewed and received. Their performances were also noted by the then Minister for Tourism, Dr. Karan Singh and by

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Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

who allotted them a house in Delhi after witnessing their performance during the celebrations of Nehru's birth anniversary. They have since gone on to perform at venues all over the globe. Raja trained students with

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and speech impairment and at the Blind Relief Association. He has also set to dance a piece based on three poems of former

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APJ Abdul Kalam. In their careers spanning over five decades and still counting, Drs.Raja and Radha Reddy are the first Indian dancers to perform in the International Dance Festival of Avignon in France and Salzburg (Austria) and the Festivals of India in the USA, UK and Bangladesh. In Ja Radha Reddy inaugurated the "Play House Theatre" in Durban (South Africa) when it was opened to general public post-apartheid, they performed on Mississippi river for the Late President Ford (facilitated by T.N Kaul, then Indian Ambassador to the US) and a galaxy of notable personalities across the globe. They have been conferred India's highest civilian awards Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi and Nritya Choodamani Awards. They choreographed for the tree of knowledge segment in the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

opening ceremony in Delhi 2010.

Natya Tarangini

Raja and Radha started the Natya Tarangini Institute of Kuchipudi dance, which is located in the Saket locality of New Delhi. The institute trains students in classical dance, music,

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

and

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. The institute also has a mini auditorium, an art gallery and hostel facility on its premises. The Institute hosts the annual dance and music festival, Parampara Series as well as the Shreyasi International Dance Festival which showcases artistes drawn from across the world. The Moscow Classical Ballet, the

Paul Taylor Dance Company Paul Taylor Dance Company is a modern dance company, formed by dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor (1930—2018). The modern dance company is based in New York, New York and was founded in 1954. Taylor originally performed in the companies of M ...

flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

dancer Jose Porcel and

whirling dervishes The Mevlevi Order or Mawlawiyya (; ) is a Sufi order that originated in Konya, Turkey (formerly capital of the Sultanate of Rum) and which was founded by the followers of Jalaluddin Muhammad Balkhi Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet, Sufi ...

are among the groups that have performed at the festival.

Awards

in 1984https://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/citation_popup.php?id=779&at=2 *

in 2000 *

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

* Lifetime Achievement Award — The Rotary Club Delhi * Doctorates by the University of Hyderabad

References

External links

The Reddys' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reddy, Raja and Radha Kuchipudi exponents Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Osmania University alumni 1943 births Living people People from Adilabad district 20th-century Indian dancers Dancers from Andhra Pradesh Entertainer duos 20th-century Indian women artists Women artists from Andhra Pradesh Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship