Gaddam Padmaja Reddy (born 1 January 1967) is an Indian Kuchipudi exponent and music teacher. She performs ballets on mythological themes and contemporary social issues. She choreographed ''Kakatiyam'', a Kuchipudi visual dance form. She was conferred with

Kala Ratna The Kala Ratna ( te, కళారత్న) earlier Hamsa Award, is a civilian honour of the Andhra Pradesh state are conferred annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and is organised by the State Cultural Council and Department of Cultur ...

in 2006, India's highest art award– Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2015 and

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

, India's fourth highest civilian award, in the field of art for 2022.

Early life

Padmaja Reddy was born on 1 January 1967 in a

Reddy Reddy (also transliterated as ''Raddi'', ''Reddi'', ''Reddiar'', ''Reddappa'', ''Reddy'') is a caste that originated in India, predominantly settled in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They are classified as a forward caste. The origin of the ...

family to G. V. Reddy and Swarajyalakshmi in

Pamarru, Krishna district Pamarru is a village in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Pamarru Mandal in Gudivada revenue division.. Transport APSRTC operates buses from Pamarru bus station. National Highway 65 (India) Nationa ...

in Andhra Pradesh. She grew up at her grandparents house in Pamarru. She later moved to Hyderabad. Her family lived in

Yousufguda Yousufguda ( te, యూసఫ్ గూడ) is a neighbourhood in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is a major residential suburb. Due to its proximity to the IT hub near Madhapur, it has become a more affordable alternative to other areas in the ...

. She was educated in St. Theresa School and then in Reddy College. She graduated in Bachelor of Arts.

Kuchipudi dance

Reddy trained in Kuchipudi from

Shobha Naidu Sobha Naidu (1956 – 14 October 2020) was among the foremost Kuchipudi dancers of India and a disciple of the renowned master Vempati Chinna Satyam. She mastered the technique of Kuchipudi and began dancing lead roles in dance-dramas at a you ...

. Reddy gained recognition for her performance in the roles of

Satyabhama Satyabhama, also known as Satrajiti, is a Hindu goddess and the third queen-consort of the Hindu god Krishna. Satyabhama is described as the incarnation of Bhudevi, the goddess and the personification of the earth. She aided Krishna in defeat ...

and

Rudrama Devi Rudrama Devi, also Maharani Rudramma Devi, was a queen of the Kakatiya dynasty in the Deccan Plateau from 1263 to 1289 (or 1295) until her death. She was among the women to rule as monarchs in India and promoted a male image in order to do so ...

. In an interview, she said she wanted to perform on a unique topic rather than the mythological stories, which are in common occurrences. She developed and performed several Kuchipudi dance forms that build awareness on contemporary social issues, some of which includes the ballets ''Bruna Hatyalu'', ''Jagruthi'', ''Vajra Bharati'', ''Namaste India'', ''Season of Flowers''. ''Bruna Hatyalu'' condemns

female foeticide Sex-selective abortion is the practice of terminating a pregnancy based upon the predicted sex of the infant. The selective abortion of female fetuses is most common where male children are valued over female children, especially in parts of Eas ...

s–selective abortions of female babies, ''Jagruthi'' explores issues surrounding

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

and ''Vajra Bharati'' tries to ignite the ethos of national integrity among people. Apart from social issues, she performs in ballets involving mythology. Some of her mythological works include ''Bhamakalapam'', ''Mahishashura Mardhini'', ''Navadurgalu'' and ''Kakatiyam''. She teaches Kuchipudi at "Pranav Institute of Kuchipudi Dance" academy, named after her son Pranav.

Kakatiyam

Reddy said in an interview that she wanted to develop a classical dance form that is based culture of

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 3 ...

. She developed ''Kakatiyam'', a two-part Kuchipudi classical visual dance form based on the history and themes of

Ramappa Temple Ramappa Temple, also known as the Rudreshwara temple, is a Kakatiya style Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva, located in Telangana, India. It is from Mulugu, from Warangal, from Hyderabad. An inscription in the temple says it was cons ...

, sculpture and dance forms during the period of Kakatiya dynasty. She said the dance concept was based on her research on the Ramappa Temple,

Thousand Pillar Temple The Thousand Pillar Temple or Rudreswara Swamy Temple వేయి స్తంభాల గుడి''is a historic Hindu temple located in the town of Hanamakonda, Telangana State, India. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Surya. Thou ...

and

Warangal Fort Warangal Fort is located in Warangal District, Telangana, India. It was the capital city of Kakatiya dynasty and Musunuri Nayakas. It appears to have existed since at least the 12th century when it was the capital of the Kakatiyas. The fort has ...

in formatting the dance form. According to her, it is based on ''Nritta Ratnavali'' – a book written by Jayapa Senani, a military commander of the Kakatiyas, documenting the dance forms of 13th century. She performed the role of

, queen of the Kakatiya dynasty. The first part of the dance was performed in February 2017 and the second part was presented in December 2021, both in

Shilpakala Vedika Shilpakala Vedika is a terracotta auditorium and convention centre located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The auditorium is in area. "Shilpa" means sculpture, ''kala'' means art, and ''vedika'' means platform. Hence it is an art sculpture p ...

in Hyderabad. According to Reddy, the split of the ballet in two parts was due to the vastness of the dance concepts documented in ''Nritta Ratnavali'' and only some of them were chosen due to "budget and feasibility". Reddy said she plans to further study the book and present the dance concepts in future performances, which were currently omitted in the two-part play.

Other work

Reddy worked as a member of National Tourism Advisory Council in 2012 and had been a member of the General Assembly of Indian Council of Cultural Relations.

Awards

Reddy was conferred several honours and awards. Prominent ones include the doctorate degree from Sri Krishnadevaraya University in 2005 and an honorary doctorate by

Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam (Sri Padmavati University) is a women's university in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established as a state university by the Andhra Pradesh legislature in 1983 to provide Higher Education in general ...

in 2022. In 2006, she was awarded with

by the

united Andhra Pradesh United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

government. She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest award in arts in India, for her contributions to Kuchipudi in 2015 and became the first dancer from

to receive the award. Later in 2022, the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

conferred her with

, the country's fourth highest civilian award, in the field of arts.

Personal life

Padmaja Reddy married Gaddam Srinivas Reddy in 1988, who is a son of Gaddam Ganga Reddy, former

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

and

Member of the Legislative Assembly A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. ...

. They have a son, Pranav. She resides in

Begumpet Begumpet ("Begum's Place") is a part of Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Begumpet is named after the daughter of the sixth Nizam ( Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI), Basheer Unnisa Begum, who received it as part of her wedding dowry when ...

, a neighbourhood in Hyderabad.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaddam, Padmaja Reddy 1967 births Living people People from Krishna district Artists from Hyderabad, India Musicians from Telangana Telugu people Kuchipudi exponents Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Recipients of the Kala Ratna 20th-century Indian dancers 21st-century Indian dancers Indian female classical dancers 20th-century Indian women artists 21st-century Indian women artists Dancers from Andhra Pradesh Dancers from Telangana Teachers of Indian classical dance Indian dance teachers Performers of Indian classical dance