Ananda Shankar Jayant Biography 
Ananda Shankar Jayant is a renowned Indian classical dancer who practices Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. In her own words, she is a cancer conquer. She is a recipient of numerous honours including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kala Ratna Award, Kalaimamani Award and the prestigious Padma Shri in 2007, for her contributions to arts. She is the first woman officer in the Indian Railway Traffic Service.
Ananda Shankar Jayant was born in 1961 in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu into a Tamil Brahmin family. Her father worked in railways and her mother, a school teacher who taught music. She was brought up in Hyderabad. She started learning classical dance at the age of 4 under Sharada Keshava Rao. She also learnt dance forms under the guidance of K. N. Pakkiriswamy Pillai, before she joined the prestigious dance school of Rukmini Devi Arundale, Kalakshetra at the age of 11. She initially learnt Bharatnatyam in the dance school, and secured a diploma certificate after learning this art form from several renowned gurus.
She spent 6 years in Kalashetra and also learnt Carnatic music, veena, dance theory and philosophy. At the age of 17, she moved back to Hyderabad and founded Shankarananda Kalakshetra to promote arts. Initially she had 8 students. Slowly it branched to a big dance academy training hundreds of students. She has also collaborated with many artists for her performances, and earned dozens of dance titles by government and other cultural organizations.
Her husband Jayant works as an officer at the Centre for Railway Information Systems, Secunderabad. She holds a master's degree in Ancient Indian History and Culture, an MPhil degree in Art History and a PhD in Tourism. She also managed to complete her civil services examinations and became the first lady officer at the Indian Railway Traffic Services.
Published: October 30, 2018
Updated: October 30, 2018
