Shovana Narayan

Shovana Narayan 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. She trained under Birju Maharaj.

Biography

Sadhna Bose in Kolkata and Guru Kundal Lal in Mumbai initiated Narayan into Kathak at the age of four.
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 and retired in 2010. She is married to Dr. Herbert Traxl, Austrian Ambassador to India.
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.
As a choreographer-performer, Shovana Narayan has worked 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. She was the creative director-producer-dancer of the first-ever trilogy involving western classical dance-Kathak-flamenco in "The Dawn After" in 1994. She was also the creative director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 6th abylimpics 2003, held at New Delhi. She delivered the opening & closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games Delhi in 2010. She has spearheaded and produced several collaborative works with leading dancers of several Indian classical dance styles.

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. 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’. She is the leading actor in films "Akbar’s Bridge" and "Das Geheimnis des Indisches Tanz".
Shovana has authored 19 books and numerous articles Her research on Kathak villages led to the discovery of a living Temple Kathak tradition in the Gangetic belt as well as of several Kathak villages, many of which had been allotted Census code numbers.
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.
In 2016, Documentary film maker Beenu Rajpoot made a film “Born to Dance” on the life of Shovana Narayan.

Filmography

Shovana Narayan has been featured as the main protagonist in several dance-based and narrative films. Her notable screen work includes:

Aavartan, a full-length feature film in which she plays the lead role. The film was selected for the Indian Panorama section at the International Film Festival of India, Goa, and was telecast on 21 January 2021. It was also showcased at other film festivals, including those in Bengaluru.
Dance of the Temples, a Hindi dance film centered on the architectural and spiritual heritage of Khajuraho.
Moksha in Madurai, an English-language dance film exploring philosophical themes through movement and narrative.
Akbar’s Bridge, a Hindi telefilm in which she appears in a leading role.

Books

Books on Shovana Narayan

‘Kathak: The World of Shovana Narayan’ by Dr. Kamal Kishor Mishra
‘I am a Fleeting Moment in Time: Kathak Guru Shovana Narayan’ by Maya ‘Parijat’

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.

Awards and honours

Govt. Of India’s President Award of “PADMASHRI”, 1992
Govt of India’s “Sangeet Natak Akademi Award” for 1999-2000 in 2001
Delhi Govt’s Sahitya Kala Parishad’s “Parishad Samman” for 1991-92 in 1993
Bihar Govt’s “Rashtriya Samman” Award for 2018-19 in 2021
Bihar Gaurav Award, 1987
Priyadarshini Award 1989
OISCA Award, 1990-91
Rajiv Gandhi Award for Excellence, 1992
Rajdhani Ratna Award, 1992
Mahila Shringar Shiromani Award 1992, Rashtrapati Bhavan
Rotary International Vocational Award, 1992
Rajiv Smriti Puraskar, 1993
Dadabhai Naoroji Award, 1993
National Integration award, 1993
Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Samman, 1996
CL Nepali Memorial Award 1999
United Indians “Pride of the Nation Award 2000”
Rashtriya Ratan Award 2021
TP Jhunjhunwala National Excellence Award 2001-2002
Top Cultural Ambassador Award by World Marketing Congress, IMM, 2002
FICCI’s FLO award, 2007
Kelvinator’s GR8Award, 2007
Women’s International Award, 2010
International Congress of Women, 2010
Kalpana Chawla Excellence Award, 2011
WIN’s Kiran Lifetime Achievement Award, 2011
CNN IBN’s Guru Shishya Award, 2012
Bihari Asmita Samman 2012
Inner Wheel’s Women Achievers Awards 2012
Guru ML Koser Award, 2013
Guru Deba Prasad Award, 2013
Parichay Award 2013, Bhubaneswar
Art Karat Award, 2014
Rotary’s SHREYAS Award, 2013-14
Bharat Nirman’s SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Award, 2014
Spandan Samman 2014, Kanpur
Ustad Ashique Ali Khan Nritya Ratna Award 2015
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Award 2015
“Shaksiyat”Award, 2015, International Womens Day Special
10th Baba Allauddin Khan Award, 2015
Culture Education Ratna Awarad, 2017
Ustad Chand Khan Award, 2017
Ustad Chand Khan Award, 2017
8th Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award, 2017
Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Award, 2017
Amar Ujala Excellence Award, 2017
Lord Beden Powell National Award 2018
Gurugram Achievers Award 2018
Shaktya Lifetime Achievement Award 2018, Bremen, Germany
ICONIC Women with Spirit Award 2018
Loknayak JP Award, 2019
Vidushi Vidyottama Stree Shakti Samman, 2019
Pt Dargahi Mishra “Nritya Shiromani 2019 “, Gurugram
Weaving Dreams Lifetime Achievement and Excellence Award 2019
10th AIPA Spirit of Dance Award
WEAA India Awards 2020
Indira Gariyali Award 2020
4th Saraswati Sadhana Samman 2021
Atal Bihari Bajpayi National Award 2021
Bharatmuni Nrithyotsav, Bharatmuni Lifetime Achievement Award,2021
13th Guru Debaprasad Nrutya Parampara Award 2021
Pt Ghanarang Sangeet Shiromani Award 2021
Topgallant Media’s National Women Pride Award 2021
Women Innovator Award 2021
ISAW Award 2022
Stree Shakti Samman 2022 – decorated on 3rd Aug 2022
Utsav Samman 2022
Nritya Samrat Pt Birju Maharaj Award 2022, Pune
Golconda Lifetime Achievement Award 2022
WUD Critics Choice Award 2022
Durga Shakti Award 2022
World University of Design, Critics Choice Awards, 2022
Institute of South Asian Women, Outstanding Doyen of Kathak, 2022
Bharatmahotsav, Festival of one India, Bharat Gaurav Samman, 2023
Sapphire SUBIJOYA Award 2023
Women Lifetime Achievement Award 2023, AALEKH and Gunjan Foundation
WOW Award Women of Wonders’ 2023 IMS Ghaziabad
Bhojpuri Icon’, 2024, Filmfare-Femina
‘Sanskriti Samman’, 2024, Calcutta University
The department of Sanskrit, Calcutta, Vaisvik-Sanskrit-sanskriti- gaurva-samman, 2024
"Scroll of Honour", 2025, TAAI
Shikhar Samman’, 2025, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Natraj Music and Dance Academy, Vysakhi Lifetime Achievement Award, 2025
Bharat Pratibha Samman Council, Bharat Pratibha Samman, 2025
Pravah Music Society, Pravah Kala Ratna Award,2025
Sri Sai Natraja Academy of Kuchipudi Dance, 10th Meenakshi Amma Award for Excellence, 2025
‘IPFEAST 4.0 ‘LEGENDS Award’, 2025.
‘His Highness Maharaja Martand Singh Ju Deo Lifetime Achievement award’ 2025, 2025, Maharaja of Rewa.