The Artist
A forty-year path
Economics, followed by broadcast journalism, and then Odissi — with, in between, an illness she faced twice, an experience that ultimately found expression in her most personal work.
Professor of Economics
A postgraduate in Economics, she taught as a lecturer and Professor of Economics at R. R. Ruia College, Mumbai.
Newsreader, Mumbai Doordarshan
For seven years she read the news for Mumbai Doordarshan, before dedicating herself entirely to dance.
The turn toward Odissi
Trained first in Bharatanatyam under Guru Shri Mani, she then embraced Odissi under Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, whose rigorous training and artistic vision shaped her into one of the form’s foremost exponents.
Diagnosis, and the years of treatment
In November 2006, at the age of 40, she was diagnosed with cancer while performing in London. She returned to Mumbai, where she underwent surgery (TAH), followed by several months of chemotherapy and radiation. Throughout the course of her chemotherapy and radiation, she continued to perform, refusing to let the treatment interrupt her artistic journey. Years later, she transformed this deeply personal experience into creative expression, making her journey the subject of a stage production and two books.
In 2025, she was diagnosed once again, this time with lung cancer. One-fourth of her lung was surgically removed. Demonstrating the same extraordinary resilience, she returned to the stage within just three months of the major surgery. Six months after the surgery, she gave a full-fledged performance at the prestigious Khajuraho Dance Festival, reaffirming her unwavering commitment to dance and her remarkable determination to continue performing despite life’s greatest challenges.
The Sanskrita Foundation
She founded the Sanskrita Foundation, a charitable trust giving free classical-dance training to underprivileged children and supporting cancer patients, including regular contributions to the Poor Patients’ Fund at Tata Memorial Hospital — the institution whose first Dean, ‘the father of Indian Pathology and medical research’ Dr. V. R. Khanolkar, was her grandfather.
India International Cultural Centre
Vice-Chairman, India International Cultural Centre (IICC), Gurugram, and Core Member of the proposed Saraswati Museum at IICC, Gurugram.
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar
The Sangeet Natak Akademi honoured her with its Akademi Puraskar for Scholarship in Performing Arts (Dance), conferred by the President of India. See all awards →
Lineage
Her artistic lineage traces directly to Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, one of the figures who brought Odissi back from near-extinction in the mid-twentieth century. Her signature Pallavi, in Raag Janasammohini, was composed by Shri Vijay Tambe.