Aishwarya Hegde

Aishwwrya is a gifted Odissi dancer, instructor and choreographer at Deepam Odissi Academy Muscat. She started her training in Odissi at the early age of seven in Muscat under Guru Deepak Roy. Today, she is an accomplished danseuse in the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Gharana of Odissi.

A a part of the Deepam performing unit, Aishwarya has performed at premier dance festivals and many prominent sabhas in Mangalore, Vishakapatnam, & Bhubaneshwar. Some of her significant performances are at 'Bharat Nrityotsav' in Vishakapatnam, 'Odissi International' in Bhubaneshwar and Kolkata, 'Nagamandala Utsav' in Mangalore. Aishwarya had the opportunity to exhibit her talent at the 'Laasyotsava Festival' in Hong Kong along with her Deepam troupe.

Aishwarya was awarded the 'Natya Saradhi' title for her performance at the Bharat Nrityotsava by the Nataraj Academy of Music and Dance, Vishakapatnam in January 2014. She was awarded the 'Laasya Bharathi' title for her performance at the Laasyotsava dance festival in Hong Kong. She was honored with the Natyasri title by the Natraj Academy for her performance at the prestigious Vyshaki dance festival also held in Vishakapatnam.

Resident of : Muscat

Akshiti Roychowdury

A gifted dancer, Akshati is a graduate from the globally acclaimed Nrityagram Dance Village trained under Guru Bijayini Satpathy, Guru Surupa Sen and Guru Pavithra Reddy. Eight years of intense training in Odissi has instilled in her the passion for dance.

Performing all around the world with the Nrityagram ensemble has honed her into the exquisite dancer that she is today. Some of her notable performances include Naman Festival (Bengaluru), Music Academy (Chennai), NCPA (Mumbai), White Light Festival (USA), Wesleyan University (USA), Royal Festival Hall (UK), Stockbridge Theater (USA), Temple of Dendur at MET Museum (USA).

Resident of : Bengaluru

Aloka Kanungo

Regarded as one of India's foremost classical dancers, Aloka Kanungo is a rare combination of performer, choreographer, teacher & scholar. A worthy heir to the art of Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra, her style has an elegance & dignity, which captures the audience. Her innovative creative ideas find expression through the language of dance in her much-appreciated productions , where she experiments with ancient Oriya traditions of Bandha and Stapatya Satya.

Initially trained by Guru Raghunatha Dutta and Guru Mayadhar Rout, she blossomed into a fine dancer under the tutelage and watchful eyes of Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra. She has received many prestigious awards , including the Shiromoni Puroshkar, Mahari Award, Udayshankar Award, Bharat Nirman Award, National Scholarship from Govt.of India and Senior Fellowship from Sangeet Natak Akademi.

She has performed in prestigious venues in UK, USA, Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Iraq besides many other countries. At present, all her dreams are woven around her Odissi dance insitution, Shinjan Nrityalaya.

Resident of : Kolkata

Aruna Mohanti

Dynamism, charisma and astounding talent makes Guru Smt. Aruna Mohanty one of the finest Odissi Dancers in the field of Odissi Dance. Aruna has considered dance to be the essence of her soul. The rhythm in her feet connects her to a divine force. The perfect blend of bhava, bhangi, taala and abhinaya radiate from her performances.

Aruna Mohanty was trained and nurtured under the able guidance of Padmashree Guru Gangadhar Pradhan. She especially excels in the abhinaya aspect of Odissi. Beginning first as a student of the Orissa Dance Academy(ODA), she has grown into a respected performer, teacher, choreographer and administrator. She has received many awards and accolades for her contribution to the arts, including the Mahari Award (1997), Sanjukta Panigrahi Memorial National Award (2001), Fellowship by Ministry of HRD, Government of India, and the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar Award in 2010. She was awarded Padmashree in 2017.

Aruna Mohanty has traveled travelled all over the globe to present solo and group presentations in addition to workshops and lecture demonstrations. She was a member of Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi and currently serves as the vice president of the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Resident of : Bhubaneswar

Arushi Mudgal

Arushi Mudgal is one of the foremost young talents in the field of Odissi today. She has trained under her aunt and Guru Smt. Madhavi Mudgal at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Delhi. She further enriched her approach to the arts with the guiidance from great maestros and dancers like Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Smt. Leela Samson and Smt. Priyadarshini Govind.

Arushi tours extensively as a soloist performing at various prestigious festivals within India and abroad. She has conducted dance workshops in various cities of France, USA, United Kingdom and Singapore, and is a regular performer for SPICMACAY. A graded artiste of Doordarshan, she is empanelled with the I.C.C.R.

For her contribution in the field of Odissi dance, Arushi has been presented with various awards including Sangeet Natak Akademi’s prestigious national award - Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (2011), the Young Women Achievers’ Award by YFLO - FICCI (2011), the Chitra Kala Sangam Samman (2010), the Sanatan Nritya Puraskar (2006), the Indian President’s Bal Shree Award (2003), the Original Mind Award (2003) and the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award (2014).

Resident of : New Delhi

Bijayini Satpathy

Globally acclaimed for her skill as an Odissi dancer and Teacher, Bijayini is one of the most recognizable names in dance today. She has performed alone, and with the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, all over the world and has received national and international recognition including the 2003 Mahari Award, the Sanskriti award in 2007 and Sangeet Natak Akademi's Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2007. In 2011 she received the prestigious Nritya Choodamani from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai.

Bijayini Satpathy's passion for Odishi was instilled as early as Kindergarten, at her school, The Institute of Integral Education. Her early training was under various teachers at Orissa Dance Academy founded by the Late Guru Gangadhar Pradhan. She joined Nrityagram in 1993 after being selected in an audition by the late Founder of Nrityagram Smt. Protima Gauri and the legendary Odissi Dancer Smt Sanjukta Panigrahi. She has worked with Nrityagram in the capacity of a performer, teacher, research scholar and administrator until 2018. As Nrityagram's Director of Training and Outreach for twenty years, Bijayini helped build it to be among the most acclaimed and sought after schools in Odissi.

Resident of : Bengaluru

Binayak Panda

Guru Binayak Panda is amongst the young Odissi dancers, continuing the legacy of the Late Guru Debaprasad Das.

Guru Binayak Panda, born in Lokanathpur, Chatarpur (Orissa), started his dance career at a young age of nine, under the guidance of his elder brother Guru Gajendra Panda. Undergone rigorous training in Odissi dance, he completed his visharad degree from the Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal. He has also learnt Odissi Sangeet from Pandit Gopal Chandra Panda. He is one amongst the young Odissi dancers, continuing the legacy of the Late Guru Debaprasad Das. He has performed at many prestigious festivals in India as well as abroad and continues to train young dancers under his guidance. He recently came up with a Odissi Dance Institute, Debadhara.

Debadhara is a pioneering organization which upholds the unique style of Late Guru Debaprasad Das and promotes a synthetic gharana imbibing essence from tribal and folk traditions established in eighties when Guruji was alive, it has imparted training in Odishi Dance and staged performances in many prestigious festivals in India and abroad. This institute continues to organize events in the memory of the Late Guru Debaprasad Das.

Resident of : New Delhi

Gajendra Panda

Guru Gajendra Kumar Panda has developed to be a foremost custodian of the Late Guru Debaprasad Das parampara of Odissi. He represents one of the most dynamic young Odissi Gurus in Odissi who is making significant contribution to the new Odissi repertoire.

Gajendra has been visualizing and choreographing new works ever since his Guru’s demise. Gajendra intense Guru Disciple relationship with Debaprasad had inspired Datuk Ramli Ibrahim to conceive the script for “Adoration” which culminated in performances in Singapore, New Delhi, Bhubaneswar and Chennai. “Night of Purnima” was Gajendra’s next choreography. Gajendra participated in several festivals in New York and Chicago organized by the late Indrani Rehman in the year 1996. Highly qualified teacher cum performer from the I.C.C.R. for abroad, he has performed at various festivals in India and abroad and has also conducted many lecture demonstrations. He also has many accolades to his name with add on to the numerous feathers present in his cap.

He has performed at the Konark festival, Khajuraho festival, Chidambaram festival, Mukteshwar festival, Chakradhar samaroh, Uttarardh Mahotsav, 64 Yogini Mahotasav, International Odissi Dance festival etc. He has also performed in various countries, such as Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, USA and many more. He is the director of the organization Tridhara, which continues the legacy of the Late Guru Debaprasad Das and promotes a synthetic gharana of Odissi dance.

Resident of : New Delhi

Jhelum Paranjape

Jhelum Paranjape is an Odissi danseuse. She has dedicated herself to the pursuit of Odissi dance since 1977. She started her training with Guru Shankar Behera and later trained under Padmavibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra from 1980 to 2004. She has done numerous solo dance recitals in major festivals of India and performed in Europe, USA & Canada too.

For her continuous effort towards the spread of Odissi she has won Kumar Gandharva Award in 1999, Mahari Award in 2005, Sanjukta Panigrahi National Award in 2005, Maharashtra Rajya Sanskritik Puraskar 2007-08, Vidya Vibhushan Award in 2009 and Women Achiever’s Award for 2008-09

Jhelum Paranjape fondly called by her students as Jhelum tai is the founder director of 'Smitalay' and Odissi Institute that she started in memory of her friend and mentor Smita Patil. She is an 'A' grade artist of Doordarshan and also empanelled by the ICCR.

Resident of : Mumbai

Karishma Ahuja

Karishma Ahuja is a Bangalore based Odissi Dancer and has performed at various dance festivals, private, corporate and public events across India, both as part of group presentations and also as a Solo Artiste. Karishma is associated with The Valley School, Bangalore, as a visiting dance faculty. She freelances as a Performing Artist and Odissi Dance Instructor. Karishma has established the Kadambari School of Odissi Dance which imparts quality training in Odissi in South Bangalore. She also organizes the annual Indian Classical Dance and Music Festival 'Kadambari Utsav' that provides a platform for upcoming artistes. Presently pursuing Odissi under the guidance of Guru Sujata Mohapatra.

Karishma is an MBA in HR and had worked in the corporate world as an HR professional for 8 years before she stepped into the world of Dance. She firmly believes that Dance heals and intends to use it as a medium to touch lives.

In 2017, Karishma was conferred the award 'Nritya Kanaka Prabha Samman' at the International Indian Classical Dance and Music festival, Bangalore and the 'Kalamani' Award in 2019 by the Hosur Natyanjali Foundation.

Resident of : Bengaluru