A classical dancer and teacher of "Mohiniyattam”, Saji believes that dancing is similar to experiencing total bliss.

Saji Menon is a Classical Dancer and Teacher of “Mohiniyattam”.

Saji Menon is a disciple of the renowned Mohiniyattam exponent and scholar, Padmabhushan Dr. Kanak Rele. She is the founder and director of the Nalanda Dance Research Center. Saji holds a Master of Performing Arts degree from Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai. She is an ‘A-graded’ artist for Doordarshan and an empanelled artist of the Ministry of Culture.

Saji was born in Kerala and brought up in Gwalior, M.P. She completed her school education from Gwalior itself. Both her parents were school teachers and her father was also a Kathkali performer. She spent her childhood surrounded by artists and inspiring herself with the different forms of dance.

Describing her journey so far, Saji says after years of seeing different forms of art , she wanted to pick one form for her to excel in. She went to Mumbai for All India Radio’s kids’ program singing auditions. There her father introduced her to Guru Dr. Kanak Rele. She was very impressed with her, knowing how she had revived Mohiniyattam, despite being a non-Malayali. So, after tenth class, Saji joined Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya in Mumbai and her journey started as a Mohiniyattam dancer.

Speaking about her struggles, Saji says when she moved to Mumbai to learn Mohiniyattam, her family was in Gwalior. So, to look for a safe place to live in Mumbai was a challenge as there were no hostel facilities provided by her college. As a dancer, she needed to consume lots of nutrients to keep her body toned and energetic for her dance, but again, it was a challenge living in a PG accommodation. But she thinks her struggle made her more disciplined and dedicated towards her dance.

When asked about her achievements, Saji says meeting her Guru Kanak Rele is itself one of the biggest achievements for her. She says the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi awarded her the “Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar” which is the highest degree award for youth in dance.

To calm and relax herself, Saji likes to wake up early in the morning, do yoga, and go for a walk. She says dancing itself is a complete form of yoga in which your whole body, from tip to toe, does yoga. Saji says, while dancing, you get the feeling of “Chittananda," or pure bliss, so apart from this, you do not have to do any other remedy to calm your soul and body.

When asked about her role models, Saji says she considers her Guru and her mother as her role models. She says that her mother, who is not a dancer, gave her support during the time when dance was not widely recognized as a viable career option. She credits all her success to her guru, who taught her and made her what she is today.

In her spare time, Saji enjoys singing, especially ghazals. She thinks music and dance are interconnected.

Saji advises young people to never give up, and to give their all to pursuing what they are passionate about, and to persevere on the path that will bring them success.