Shovana Narayan#External links

{{Infobox dancer

| name = Shovana Narayan

| image = Shovana Narayan.jpg

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| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1950|9|2}}

| birth_place = West Bengal, India

| education =

| occupation = Dancer

| years_active = 1970–present

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| spouse = Herbert Traxl

| website =

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| former_groups =

| dances = Kathak

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Shovana Narayan (born 2 September 1950) is a recognised Indian Kathak dancer and a career officer with Indian Audit and Accounts Service. She performs in India and internationally, and has been awarded the Padma Shri.{{cite web|title=Famous Kathak Dancers|url=http://www.bhavalaya.com/art%20and%20culture/famous_kathak_dancers.html|work=Bhavalaya|access-date=25 January 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423213717/http://www.bhavalaya.com/art%20and%20culture/famous_kathak_dancers.html|archive-date=23 April 2012|df=dmy-all}} She trained under Birju Maharaj.{{Cite web|url=https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-dance/dancers/shovana-narayan.html|title=Shovana Narayan Biography {{!}} Childhood, Family, Contribution to Kathak Dance, Facts|website=www.culturalindia.net|language=en|access-date=2019-05-07}}

Early life and education

Sadhna Bose in Kolkata and Guru Kundal Lal in Mumbai initiated Narayan into Kathak at the age of four.{{Cite magazine |author=S. Sahaya Ranjit |date=November 13, 2006 |title=Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan unfolds her life in 'Meandering Pastures of Memories' |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/story/20061113-kathak-dancer-shovana-narayan-and-her-meandering-pastures-of-memories-782024-2006-11-13 |access-date=2022-04-02 |magazine=India Today |language=en}}

She studied at Miranda House in Delhi, India, graduating with a master's degree in physics in 1972. She completed M.Phil. in Defence and Strategic Studies from University of Madras in 2008 and MPhil in Social Sciences from Punjab University in 2001. She also worked as a career officer for the Indian Audits & Accounts Service{{cite web|title=Shovana Narayan|url=http://www.mirandahouse.ac.in/MirandaHouse/UserSpace/UserName/admin/DynamicFolder/2006-2007/Alumnae/AlumniBioProfile_ShovanaNarayan.htm|work=Miranda House's website|access-date=25 January 2012}} and retired in 2010. She is married to Dr. Herbert Traxl, Austrian Ambassador to India (retired).{{cite book|last=Chatterjee|first=Rupa|title=Raising a Daughter|year=2007|pages=127|publisher=Pustak Mahal |isbn=9788122308228|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xiI0St0tr3oC&dq=Shovana+Narayan+-+Dr.+Herbert+Traxl,&pg=PA127}}

Achievements in dance career

As a "performer and guru," Shovana Narayan has performed widely in several prestigious national and international festivals and before several heads of state and governments and has trained several Kathak artists of the young generation.{{Cite web |last=India |first=The Dance |date=2020-11-24 |title=Shovana Narayan: A Dynamic Exponent of Kathak |url=https://thedanceindia.com/shovana-narayan-a-dynamic-exponent-of-kathak/ |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=THE DANCE INDIA |language=en-US}}

As a "choreographer-performer," Shovana Narayan has spearheaded and produced international collaborative works with leading dancers of western classical ballet, flamenco, tap dance, Buddhist chants with Buddhist monks, as well as dancing the compositions of western classical composers.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} She was the creative director-producer-dancer of the first-ever trilogy involving western classical dance-Kathak-flamenco in "The Dawn After" in 1994.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} She was also the creative director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 6th abylimpics 2003, held at New Delhi.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} She delivered the opening & closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games Delhi in 2010.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} She has spearheaded and produced several collaborative works with leading dancers of several Indian classical dance styles.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} She was also the creative director-producer for:

the classical dance sequence in the opening ceremony of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Indian Independence at National Stadium, 1997{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}
the ballet on the First War of Independence on Begum Hazrat Mahal{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}
the ballet for Guru Gobind Singh's Tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa panth,1999{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

Some of her choreographies are:

the dance ballet "Kadambari: The Poet’s Muse" (2012) on the influence of sister-in-law, Kadambari on Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, a subject never attempted before{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}
the genre of dance enactments to philosophical themes with the eminent philosopher, late Prof Ramchandra Gandhi that was based on the lives of contemporary thinkers and sages (Vivekanand, Ramana Maharshi, Francis of Assisi, Mahatma Gandhi, Ramkrishna Paramhansa){{citation needed|date=June 2022}}
a soliloquy to "Shakuntala" (by Maithili Sharan Gupt), which rejuvenated the narrative tradition of the North-Indian dance form{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

As an "organiser," Shovana Narayan organises annually:

a festival for young torchbearers of classical performing arts ‘LalitĀrpan Festival’ at India Habitat Centre{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}
the Asavari festival featuring maestros of classical performing arts{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}
the annual day ‘Rhythm & Joy’ of young students of Kathak (for over two decades){{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

Research and films

Shovana has researched and discovered 8 Kathak villages near Gaya with documentary and official records. She collaborated with Sanskrit & epigraphy scholar KK Mishra, who discovered Prakrit inscription in Asokan-Brahmi script relating to Kathak dated to the 4th century BC.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} She is the first dancer to have conceived, conceptualised and brought out a dance video on the philosophy and legend of the immortal Khajuraho temples entitled ‘Dance of the Temples’.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} She is the leading actor in films "Akbar’s Bridge" (Hindi) and "Das Geheimnis des Indisches Tanz" (German).{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

Over 80 articles with in-depth research were published in several national newspapers, recognised journals, etc. such as the Times of India, the Tribune, the Asian Age, in journals of Sangeet Natak Akademi, Rajasthan University, UNESCO, and several others.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

In 2016, Documentary film maker Beenu Rajpoot made a film “Born to Dance” on the life of Shovana Narayan.{{cite web |title=A gaze at danseuse Shovana Narayan's journey |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/shovana-narayan-kathak-dancer-documentary-3070947/ |website=The Indian Express |language=en |date=7 October 2016}}{{cite web |title=Danseuse par excellence: A glimpse into life of a maestro who amazed the world |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/danseuse-par-excellence-a-glimpse-into-life-of-a-maestro-who-amazed-the-world/story-kKEUFAac4Jk2rzNqpsu6FK.html |website=Hindustan Times}}

Books

;By Shovana Narayan

{{cite book|last=Narayan|first=Shovana|title=Indian Classical Dances|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vxBq4xq94ZYC|access-date=30 January 2012|date=14 March 2005|publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd|isbn=978-1-84557-169-6}}
{{cite book|last=Narayan|first=Shovana|title=Performing arts in India: a policy perspective|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kll9QgAACAAJ|access-date=30 January 2012|year=2003|publisher=Kanishka Publishers, Distributors}}
{{cite book|last=Narayan|first=Shovana|title=Indian theatre and dance traditions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVNQAAAAMAAJ|access-date=30 January 2012|date=1 January 2004|publisher=Harman Pub. House in association with Iādyant|isbn=978-81-86622-61-2}}
{{cite book|last=Narayan|first=Shovana|title=Rhythmic echoes and reflections: kathak|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IvdnQgAACAAJ|access-date=30 January 2012|date=1 February 1998|publisher=Roli Books|isbn=978-81-7436-049-6}}
{{cite book|last1=Narayan|first1=Shovana|author2=India. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Publications Division|title=Dance legacy of Patliputra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XJhFAQAACAAJ|access-date=30 January 2012|year=1999|publisher=Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India|isbn=978-81-230-0699-4}}
{{cite book|last1=Raghuvanshi|first1=Alka|last2=Narayan|first2=Shovana|last3=Pasricha|first3=Avinash|title=Kathak|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S0slPwAACAAJ|access-date=30 January 2012|year=2004|publisher=Wisdom Tree|isbn=978-81-86685-14-3}}
{{cite book|last=Narayan|first=Shovana|title=Folk dance traditions of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s8vfAAAAMAAJ|access-date=30 January 2012|year=2004|publisher=Shubhi Publication|isbn=9788187226932}}
{{cite book|last=Narayan|first=Shovana|title=Meandering pastures of memories|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bYBdK0algM8C|access-date=30 January 2012|year=2007|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=978-1-4039-3102-3}}
{{cite book|last=Narayan|first=Shovana|title=Krishna in performing arts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rYfaNwAACAAJ|access-date=30 January 2012|date=1 January 2007|publisher=Shubhi|isbn=978-81-8290-042-4}}
{{cite book|last=Mishra|first=Kamal K.|editor=Mishra, Girishwar |editor2=Jha, Binay K. |title=Kathak: the world of Shovana Narayan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OJE83G9Fn5MC|access-date=30 January 2012|date=1 January 2006|publisher=Kanishka|isbn=978-81-7391-725-7}}

In popular culture

In 2022, documentary film maker Beenu Rajpoot directed a film "Kathak Log of Kathak Villages" on the life of Shovana Narayan. The film took four years to complete and it is based on a deeply researched book Kathak Lok; the film unearths little-known facts of the pre-Christian era roots of Kathak. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in Delhi first screened the documentary on April 30, 2022.{{cite web |title=इंडियारा गांधी राष्ट्रीय कला केंद्र |url=https://ignca.gov.in/invitations/30042022_Book_Launch_invite.pdf |website=IGNCA}}{{cite web |title=Kathak Lok: Temples, Traditions and History: Shovana Narayan, Geetika Kalha's new book is an eye-opener for Kathak lovers |url=https://www.firstpost.com/art-and-culture/kathak-lok-temples-traditions-and-history-shovana-narayan-geetika-kalhas-new-book-is-an-eye-opener-for-kathak-lovers-10637111.html |website=Firstpost |language=en-us |date=5 May 2022}}