Garima, a Kathak dancer, believes that her guru's teachings have guided her throughout her life. She has been dancing for the past 25 years.

Dr. Garima Arya is the founder of Kalakulam—the Academy of Performing Arts, Delhi.

Garima started dancing at the age of four. She belongs to Haridwar, Uttarakhand, and shifted to Delhi in 2006 to learn Kathak. She feels blessed to have a great guru like Padma Vibhushan Pt. Birju Maharaj, as his teachings have stayed with her for a lifetime. She loves her life, as her passion is her profession. She says her connection with dance is very pure and simple, and she loves to express her feelings through dance. She completed her Ph.D. in Music and Dance from Delhi University.

Recalling her childhood, Garima says that she belongs to a non-dancer family background and that she is the only one in her family who chose dance as a career. In her family, everyone is from the medical field. However, her parents always supported her in this field. She has been focused on dance since her childhood, and she feels blessed and happy to live her dream.

When asked about her mistakes, Garima says that mistakes are a part of life and believes that you will gain experience only when you make a mistake. Without mistakes, there is no adventure in life. She says she learned from her mistakes, which she will carry with her for the rest of her life.

Garima also likes to sing and cook and eat food. She loves to explore and meet new people and learn about new cultures in her free time.

Sharing her achievements, Garima says becoming a better version of herself every single day is an achievement for her. She considers living her dream to be another accomplishment.

Garima’s role models are her parents, and she follows them in every aspect of her life. Padma Vibhushan Pt. Birju Maharaj is also her role model in the field of dance.

To relieve stress, Garima practises dance and meditates.

Garima’s life mantra is to do her work with full dedication and honesty. She believes, "Do your task properly, and you will get all the rewards.”