Thanjavur Rajalakshmi,
Musician (disciple of Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer), Bharatanatyam artist and teacher, film actress of yesteryear and Director of Sri Gurulaya Academy. She trained many students for solo performances and choreo¬graphed several

dance dramas. Noteworthy was the thematic production in 1995 in which Rajalakshmi had set to dance some of the immortal compositions of Yogi Suddhananda Bharati. Her choreography for the dance ballet presented during the annual Nritta Makarandam seminar at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan had some memorable moments that recall with joy. Rajalakshmi received the Kalaimamani award from the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram.

Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai,
(born March 21, 1970), better known mononymously as Shobana, is an Indian film actress and bharatanatyam dancer. She acts predominantly in Malayalam language, in addition to Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and English language films. She has won two National Film Awards, one Kerala State Film Awards and numerous other awards.

Shobana established herself as a leading actress in 1980s and 1990s. She has worked with directors such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan, G. Aravindan, K. Balachander, AM Fazil, Mani Ratnam, Bharathan, Uppalapati Narayana Rao, and Priyadarshan. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress twice, for her performances in the Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu (1993) and the English film Mitr, My Friend (2001). Consequent to the year 1999, Shobana turned extremely selective about her films.

Shobana was trained under the Bharata Natyam dancers Chitra Visweswaran and Padma Subrahmanyam. She emerged as an independent performer and choreographer in her twenties and currently runs a dance school, Kalarpana, in Chennai.[6] In 2006, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri for her contributions towards the arts.[10][11] In 2014, the Kerala State Government honoured her with the Kala Ratna Award. In 2019, she was bestowed an honorary doctorate from Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute.

V P Dhananjayan,

Dhananjayan always had a flair towards poetry and Sanskrit dramas. The place he was born, Payyanur, was rich in culture and heritage such as Kalarippayattu (Martial arts), Kathakali (the classical dance theatre) and Theiyyam (a ritualistic folk art form). He acted in his father’s plays and grew up seeing his father and other relatives travel from one village to another during school vacations, performing along their way.

Fortunate to be discovered by Chandu Panicker for his talent, Dhananjayan moved to Kalakshetra where he spent the next 15 years of his life learning the art. The discipline and dedication which later reflected in his performances and productions were instilled within the walls of this institution. His flair for academics and arts was equally well utilised and he was principal in organising and executing production tours. He was given the scholarship to study at Kalakshetra where the rigours of his education and way of life prepared him to meet the challenges of life as a dancer.

“In many ways, I am the person I am because of that institution”

Shanta Dhananjayan,
Born on 12th August 1943, to a well to do Indian family in Malaysia, Shanta Dhananjayan had been showing an ardent passion towards dance from the tender age of three. Walking into the campus of Kalakshetra as young as 8, Shanta, a child prodigy had an inborn response to dance and joy of movement. With Rukmini Devi as mentor and Chandu Panickar as the guru, she was an outstanding student in Bharatanatyam and Music. Holding a Post Graduate Diploma with a distinction in Bharatanatyam, she has also learnt Kathakali and Carnatic music from Kalakshetra.

The match made in heaven was matrimony realized at Kalakshetra. A partner on stage becoming a partner for life was a dream come true for Shanta & Dhananjayan. They stepped into a life dedicated to dance in the staff quarters of the Kalakshetra Campus where both of them served as faculty. There is never a moment that passes without Akka and Master stating, “Whatever we are today, it is because of Rukmini Devi and Guru Chandu Panicker.”

A performer, a singer, a teacher par excellence – Shanta Akka is the perfect balance to this legendary institution installing in her students the core values which shape not just an artist but a better human being.