Sandhya Manoj Age, Husband, Children, Family, Biography & More
Quick Info→
Hometown: Kuwait City
Husband: Manoj Kaimal
Age: 41 Years
Bio/Wiki | |
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Profession(s) | Odissi Dancer, Yoga Instructor & Dance Teacher |
Physical Stats & More | |
Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 168 cm in meters- 1.68 m in feet & inches- 5’ 6” |
Eye Colour | Jade Green |
Hair Colour | Black |
Career | |
Debut | TV: Bigg Boss Malayalam 3 (2021) |
Personal Life | |
Date of Birth | 1 August 1979 (Wednesday) |
Age (as of 2020) | 41 Years |
Birthplace | Kuwait City, Kuwait |
Zodiac sign | Leo |
Nationality | Malaysian |
Hometown | Kuwait City, Kuwait |
Educational Qualification | Graduation in English Literature [1]Brahmabodhi |
Religion | Hinduism [2]Facebook - Sandhya Manoj |
Ethnicity | Malayali [3]Times of India |
Relationships & More | |
Marital Status | Married |
Marriage Date | 23 January 1999 (Saturday) |
Family | |
Husband/Spouse | Manoj Kaimal (Yoga Expert) |
Children | Son- Sidharth Manoj Daughter- Shivani Manoj |
Parents | Father- Kunjanmenon Das Mother- Kala Das (Dancer) |
Siblings | Brother- Sanjiv Das (Works at Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company - ADNIC) |
Favourite Things | |
Beverage | Coffee |
Restaurant | Hailam Kopitiam in Kuala Lumpur |
Song | Alhamdulillah from the film 'Sufiyum Sujatayum' (2020) |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Sandhya Manoj
- Sandhya Manoj is a Malaysian Odissi dancer, dance teacher, and yoga instructor who gained fame after contesting the reality TV show Bigg Boss Malayalam 3 (2021), which premiered on Asianet.
- She spent her childhood growing up in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. After completing her schooling in Saudi Arabia, she came to India to pursue her graduation.
- Growing up in Kuwait, she began learning Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam under her mentor Parvathy Narayana Swamy at the age of five. Soon, she began performing on stage in Kuwait. She performed her first Dashavatar ‘Paalkadal Allaimelle’ in Bharatanatyam; it was taught by her guru Parvathy.
- Her family was against her idea of making dance a career because they never thought of dance as a potential career. According to her,
If I had half the courage as now I would have reacted as ‘Oh Gosh, I come with such a culture less background family, who find it shame to stand and embrace and stand for the exposure of our tradition.’ But I was a timid child then and so, kept quiet and buried the dream of going to the institutions like Kalakshetra and Kalamandalam.”
- In 1999, she moved to Kuala Lampur in Malaysia after her marriage to Manoj. There, she became interested in Odissi dance and joined the Temple of Fine Arts Kuala Lampur to learn Odissi. She has been dedicated to classical dance ever since.
- In 2006, she came to Odisha with a group of senior practitioners to learn Odissi and was mentored by Durga Charan Ranbir and Ratikant Mohapatra. Sandhya has also attended an Odissi dance workshop by Guru Padma Shri Madhavi Mudgal.
- Sandhya has been a classical dancer for more than three decades and is recognized for her idea on the implementation of dance with yoga. She has given performances at several national and international events like Raindrops Festival, Surya Festival (Kerala), and Natyolsavam (Thiruvananthapuram). She has also given performances at events for the Government of India and the Government of Malaysia. Her performance has been showcased at the Guru Gopinath Natanagramam & Dance Museum in Thiruvananthapuram.
- She gave her first performance in Kerala at Nishagandhi auditorium, where she showcased two numbers – ‘Navarasa’ and ‘Dasha Maha Vidya’ for her short recital.
- She gave many performances in Odissi, and after a while, she began performing and producing her own dance theatres, which includes Shakthi Praleeyanam, Ardhnaarishwara, Padmanabha Daasa, Swati Thirunal Dashavatar, Dashamahavidhya, Prerna, and Ashtanayika Radha.
- She likes doing yoga, and in 2000, at the age of 21, Sandhya, along with her husband, launched Manasa Yoga School, a yoga studio in SS 2, Petaling Jaya. At the studio, she helped her husband conceptualize Manasa Yoga. The yoga school is known to be the best yoga school in Malaysia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the studio launched online dance and yoga classes.
- She is also an Odissi teacher and yoga instructor at Manasa Yoga School. She also conducts dance workshops. Apart from that, she is also an Odissi teacher at the Temple of Fine Arts Kuala Lumpur.
- Along with adults, she has also taught children in two international schools, and at Taraana, a school for special children.
- On her social media accounts, she has advertised products such as Oatsify, 88KETO, and Malabar Gold and Diamonds. She was also involved in an ad campaign in which she modelled for the jewellery designer Malika Sinha.
- Sandhya founded ‘Persatuan Abhaya Malaysia,’ a not-for-profit organization helping in the empowerment of the sexual and physical abuse victims by introducing them to performing arts and yoga.
- Apart from dancing and teaching, she also does hosting and has hosted prestigious events for the High Commission of India to Malaysia, ASEAN Business Advisory Council Malaysia, and the Malayalam Talentime Contest by the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists.
- She owns a self-titled YouTube channel, where she posts videos of her dance, travel, and achievements.
- In 2017, she made a guest appearance in a morning program on the channel Jai Hind News TV Kerala.
- In 2019, she was featured in the Yoga Life magazine and appeared on its cover with her husband.
- In an interview, Sandhya talked about her affection towards dance and said,
Dancing has been a passion for me since childhood. It helps me connect to the energy of the moment, and it makes me feel complete. More than just staring at the dancer, the audience has to understand what I am doing.”
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