Trained under the leading visionary of Kathak Padmabhushan Kumudini Lakhia, Lajja –

“believes in exploring dance (Kathak) as a flexible medium to bridge sensitivities with sensibilities eventually leading towards a progression of ‘minds’ and of ‘arts’.

Her UGC awarded Research Fellowship titled “Contemporary Sensibilities vis a vis the heritage of Kathak”, was completed under Padmabhushan Kumudini Lakhia.  A post graduate gold medallist in Performing Arts –Kathak from MS University she has a strong training in Jaipur Gharana under Late Pt Sunderlal Gangani, Pt Harish Gangani and Pt Jagdish Gangani.

Lajja has given numerous performances nationally and internationally at various dance festivals :

FROFA – Royal Albert Hall , London UK,

Maison de l’ Inde – Paris , France

Tagore Centre –, Berlin, Germany,

The Navi Mumbai Festival – Mumbai, India,

NICCT – Amsterdam , The Netherlands

CC Nicolas Saremon – Madrid , Spain,

Festival Intermezzo – Evora, Portugal,

Kerala Kalamandalam Platinum Jubilee Festival , Kerala ,

Swaralaya Dance And Music Fest, Palakkad , Kerala ,

Ananya – Dance Festival, Purana Qila , New Delhi (with Kadamb repertory)

Kalpana – Dance Festival Kolkata, ( with Kadamb repertory)

24th Natyanjali Chidambaram and Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, to name a few.

She has choreographed solos and productions with her group of dancers along with various fusion projects with international artists from various disciplines, like amalgamating Kathak with Indonesian gamelan . Her choreography of Kathak to composer Cesar Viana´s “Café Oriente” was very well received. Her production “Uma Canção de país Longínquo” wherein she choreographed Kathak to Portuguese literature from celebrated Portuguese poets Fernando Pessoa and Luis de Camões was received with much critical acclaim. Her recent production “Samapad”, a collaboration with French Bharatnatyam dancer  carries the lineage of  their legendary gurus who shared stage in the company of Ram Gopal,  a pioneer of Indian dance in the West during the  50s, carrying forward the  unbroken line of the internationalization of Indian Classical Dance with purity and rigor.

Her academic studies have flourished delivering lectures as a visiting faculty at various academic institutions and are complimented with paper readings at the World Forum, Den Hague, SIEF Congress, Lisbon, Portugal etc.

Further, she holds a graduate degree from the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, in Clothing and Textiles specializing in Indian Handlooms.

She was conferred with “Medalho do Merito” for her services of bridging two cultures through Indian Classical dance, by the Junta Freguesia Lumiar, Govt of Portugal, in April 2017, and “Salute India NRI award” by Global Gujarati Federation, Ahmedabad, India for promoting Indian Culture outside India in February 2018.

Based in Lisbon, Portugal and Ahmedabad, India; she divides her time to further her art though her work.