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

Kuchipudi Kuchipudi () ( Telugu: ) is one of the eight major Indian classical dances. It originates from a village named Kuchipudi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sa ...

dancing couple,

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

s and choreographers. They are renowned as exponents of the South Indian dance form of

. 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: ; 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, c ...

has conferred on them the

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), 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. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

and

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan 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 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

awards.

Early life and family

Raja Reddy was born on 6 October 1943 in Narasapuram, while Radha Reddy was born on 15 February 1955 in Kotalgaon,

Adilabad district Adilabad district is a district located in the northern region of Telangana, India. It is known as the gateway district to South and Central India. The town of Adilabad is its headquarters. The district shares boundaries with Asifabad, Nirm ...

of present-day

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...

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

Osmania University Osmania University is a collegiate public state university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad in 1918 , He released a farman to establish OSMANIA UNIVERSITY on the day of 28 August 1918. It ...

. Radha Reddy also has a Diploma in Choreography. In 2010 the duo were conferred honorary doctorates by the

University of Hyderabad The University of Hyderabad (IAST: ''Hydarāvād visvavidyālayamu'') is a top ranking public central research university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Founded in 1974, this mostly residential campus has more than 5,000 students a ...

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 The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in Sa ...

by touring folk troupes in his home district of

Adilabad Adilabad is a city which serves as the headquarters of Adilabad district, in the Indian state of Telangana. Telugu is the native language of Adilabad. Adilabad is famous for its rich cultivation of cotton. Hence, Adilabad is also referred as " ...

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 Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the 14 municipal corporations in the state and the mandal headquarters of Eluru mandal in the Eluru revenue division. The city ...

. In 1966, on a

Government of Andhra Pradesh Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as, GOAP, or, Andhra Government, is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is an elected government with 175 Member of the Legislative ...

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, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

where they studied choreography and other stage arts under Guru

Maya Rao Maya Rao (2 May 1928 – 1 September 2014) was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and educator, in Kathak dance. She is known for her pioneering work in Kathak choreography, especially in dance ballets, and is credited for bringing Kath ...

at Natya Ballet Centre. Their talent was soon noted and they were invited to dance with doyen of the time including

Indrani Rehman Indrani Rahman (19 September 1930, Chennai – 5 February 1999, New York) was an Indian classical dancer of Bharata Natyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali and Odissi dance, Odissi, which she popularised in the west, and later settled in New York in 1976. ...

. 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 Karan Singh (born 9 March 1931) is an Indian politician and philosopher. He is the son of the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, Sir Hari Singh. He was the prince regent of Jammu and Kashmir until 1952. From 1 ...

and by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...

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

hearing Hearing, or auditory perception, is the ability to perceive sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psycholog ...

and

speech impairment Speech disorders or speech impairments are a type of communication disorder in which normal speech is disrupted. This can mean stuttering, lisps, etc. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute. Speech skills are ...

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

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

APJ Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied phy ...

. 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, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

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 (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

. 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 ...

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

dancer Jose Porcel and

whirling dervishes The Mevlevi Order or Mawlawiyya ( tr, Mevlevilik or Mevleviyye; fa, طریقت مولویه) is a Sufism, Sufi order that originated in Konya (a city now in Turkey; formerly capital of the Sultanate of Rum, Seljuk Sultanate) and which was founded ...

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 (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...

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

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