Coming from a family of dancers, Madhumita too became an Odissi dancer and teacher. She is promoting Indian Classical Dance throughout the world.

Madhumita Raut is an Odissi Dancer and dance Guru. She is the Director of Jayantika-Mayadhar Raut School of Odissi Dance. She is the daughter and disciple of Padma Shri guru Mayadhar Raut. She has inherited the Odissi Dance form from her father as a legacy and has been training students worldwide. She also writes a lot, promoting Odissi in every possible way she can.

Madhumita was born in Cuttack, Odisha. Thereafter, when she was one year old, her parents migrated to New Delhi and her schooling, higher education, and dance training all happened in New Delhi. She started learning dance at the early age of just four years, and it was because of her mother that Madhumita became a dancer.

Madhumita’s mother always wanted her to take up her father’s passion for dancing forward, and somewhere later she also developed an interest in dancing, she says. Her parents were also very particular about her academics and she did her schooling at Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan which puts a great emphasis on Indian culture. Thereafter, she joined Indraprastha College for Women, New Delhi for her graduation in English Literature and further, she did her Master’s in English Literature. Madhumita says that she has also written a few books on Odissi Dance.

Recalling her childhood memories, Madhumita says that her childhood was very nice as she used to do many activities simultaneously. She says that she was fond of painting therefore, she used to attend art classes at Triveni Kala Sangam, and on other days she used to take dance training under her father. She says that getting trained under her father was a very unique experience as he was very particular that she imbibes the theoretical aspect of Odissi dance. And that helped her when she wrote a book on Odissi. Her entire childhood was filled with dance, academics, art, and painting. She says that she became a professional dancer when she was twelve years old and started traveling all over the world. She was just fourteen years old when she visited fifteen countries to perform with her father. By now she has visited more than thirty-five countries, says Madhumita. Her childhood was very much fun, and she would really want to relive those moments.

Talking about the challenges and difficulties faced by her, Madhumita says that life as a dancer has not been that easy. Since she belongs to a family of dancers and gurus, she was always taught that dance is meditation and a form of worship. However, as she grew up, she realized that there was a lot of nepotism in society and that one needs to have a strong support to participate in any competition or to do anything in dance.

Therefore, she started her journey in Europe as everything there was done on the basis of merit, she just had to prove her worth and she got the opportunities to perform, teach, write, and lecture. She says that the journey in India has been difficult and when she was growing up, in the festivals, there were only a handful of dancers featured. These were some of the difficulties she faced during her journey, and she had to prove herself more and work harder in order to be accepted without nepotism. However, she is happy that she has created a successful space for herself with the help of her parents and his father's strictness.

Regarding her mistakes, Madhumita says that she always had her father guiding her, so she does not recall making any mistakes in her journey as a dancer.

Speaking about her accomplishments, Madhumita says that awards have never been so important and fascinating to her. However, her vocation as a dancer, her dedication, and her father’s satisfaction; all these things are an accomplishment for her. She says that she was the first one to perform in a temple in the Netherlands and before that no classical dance was ever performed in a temple. To make people understand the importance of classical dance, she performed in the Sanatan Temple in Holland.

Over the years, she has had many students who have opened their dance schools, which is an achievement for her. Additionally, with her father’s guidance, she has written an exhaustive book on Odissi dance, Odissi - What, Why, and How? Which is also an achievement for her. Also, she started dance schools in various places like Germany, Japan, America, and Holland which are now run by her students, and she feels very proud that she and her students are able to promote Odissi dance widely around the world. Her entire life is based on creating new dancers, and she still has miles to go, says Madhumita.

Talking about her role models, Madhumita says that in the field of Odissi and in life, her role model is her father. She says that her father is recognized by the title ‘High Priest of Indian Classical Dance’ and he has always been a guiding hand to her.

In her free time, Madhumita loves to write. Also, being with plants and nature is what she loves doing. She says that she and her students go on long silent walks, and they call these camps “Swachetna” which is for self-realization, and self-discovery.

Madhumita says that life is beautiful and there is a lot to explore. Also, she adds that Hinduism has such vast knowledge and if you gain even a small amount from that knowledge, you can live your life in a very divine manner.

Talking about stress and depression, Madhumita says that as a creative person, one can feel so many emotions. Whenever she feels a bit low, she meditates and does mantra chanting. Also, she prefers reading biographies like “Wings of Fire”, and writings of J. Krishnamurthy, and Paramahansa Yogananda.

Sharing her life mantra, Madhumita says that she follows a mantra that was taught to her by her mother. “To become one with your inner self, to believe in your inner self, never lose the voice that speaks inside you, and if you are convinced just go ahead on your path.” She says that her mother taught her to walk alone in the world.

To the upcoming Classical Dancers, Madhumita says that there is no shortcut to success, so work hard and eventually, you will get there. Also, she says that knowledge can be your biggest strength to excel in this world and one should never compromise with knowledge. She says that everything comes to you at the right time, and you should work hard without expectations.