Gangtok : Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form originating from Tamil Nadu and refers to bhava or abhinaya and expression, raga or melody and tala or rythm. Mrs. Padmaja Suresh is reckoned as one of the finest exponents of Bharat Natyam with several years of experience in India and abroad as a dancer, teacher and choreographer. With Bachelor’s degree in law and commerce she holds a diploma in choreography, master’s degree in philosophy and is presently pursuing her Ph.d. She trained under renowned guru, Mr. K.K.Kalayana Sundaram of Sri Raja Rajeshwari Kalamandir Mumbai and had the privilege of performing before Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the then president of India and the Governors of Maharashtra and Karanataka. In 2003, she was chosen as the Cultural Ambassador by the ICCR, Government of India on a cultural mission.
Presently, she is teaching bharatnatyam to the children living in slum areas at Kerala. She had always been wanting to reach out to children from the lower strata of society through a cultural ongoing project Kala Chaitanya at Bangalore. She is being assisted in her teaching initiatives by her students who are perform at various platforms.
Padmaja Suresh alongwith her two students Aparna D.S. and Minal Shah performed at the Raj Bhawan on February 15. They performed the Adi Devta Ganapati, Meera Bhajan, Natraja, two telanas- traditional South Indian Karnatic Raga followed by Radha and Krishna dances in vasantha Reetu.
The Governor, Mr. Sudarshan Agarwal was highly impressed and as a mark of appreciation, shawls were presented to all the three dancers.