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Shovana Narayan Age, Husband, Children, Family, Biography

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Husband: Dr. Herbert Traxl
Hometown: Delhi
Age: 73 Years

Shovana Narayan

Bio/Wiki
Full nameShovana Traxl Narayan [1]Instagram - Shovana Narayan
Profession(s)Dancer, Former Civil Servant, Writer
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.) 5’ 4” (163 cm)
Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourBlack
Career
Dancer Active since 1970
Civil Servant Indian Audits & Accounts Service (1976 - 2010)
Famous Dance Performances• The Dawn After (Kathak, Spanish Flamenco, and Ballet) (1994)
• The Temptation of Vivekananda (1995)
• Soliloquy on "Shakuntala (1996)
• Satya Ki Khoj (1999)
• Yashoda’s Soliloquy (2000)
Famous Books• Rhythmic Echoes & Reflections: Kathak (1998)
Shovana Narayan's book on Kathak
• Performing Arts in India: A Policy Perspective (2003)
Shovana Narayan's book on Indian Performing Arts
• Indian Theatre and Dance Traditions (2004)
Shovana Narayan's book on Indian Theatre and Dance Traditions
• Meandering Pastures of Memories (autobiography) (2007)
Autobiography of Shovana Narayan
• Kathak Lok Temples: Traditions and History- in collaboration with Geetika Kalha (2022)
Shovana Narayan with Geetika Kalha signing their book on Kathak
Awards and Achievements • Padma Shri (1992)
Shovana Narayan at the time of receiving Padma Shri
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1999-2000)
• Kalpana Chawla Excellence Award (2010)
• Women's International Award (2010)
• ISAW Women Achiever Award (2022)
Shovana Narayan, receiving the ISAW Award
• Filmfare Femina 'Bhojpuri Icon' Award (2023)
Shovana Narayan receiving the Filmfare Femina award
Honours• D. Litt (h. c.) by Khairagarh University
• Delhi Government's Parishad Samman
• Indira Priyadarshini Samman (1996)
• Bharat Gaurav Samman (2023)
Shovana Narayan while receiving the Bharat Gaurav Samman
• Agraja: Nari Shakti Samman by Amity University (2023)
Shovana Narayan Award by Amity University
Personal Life
Date of Birth2 September 1950 (Saturday)
Age (as of 2023) 73 Years
BirthplaceCalcutta (now Kolkata)
Zodiac signVirgo
SignatureAutograph of Shovana Narayan
NationalityIndian
HometownDelhi
College/University• Delhi University
• Miranda House, Delhi
• Punjab University
• University of Madras
Educational Qualification(s)• B.Sc. Physics (honours)
• M.Sc. Physics (1972)
• M.Phil in Social Sciences (2002)
• M.Phil in Defence & Strategic Studies (2008) [2]The Times of India
AddressShovana Narayan G-9, Pushpanjali Farms, Shahi Road, Bijwasan (near International Airport) Delhi – 110061, India
HobbiesDancing, Reading, Listening to music, Walking
Relationships & More
Marital StatusMarried
Marriage Date4 May 1982
Family
Husband/SpouseDr. Herbert Traxl (Austrian diplomat, former Ambassador to India)
Shovana Narayan with her husband
ChildrenSon- Erwin Ishan Traxl (lawyer)
Shovana Narayan's family picture
ParentsFather- K.D. Narayan (civil servant)
Mother- Lalita (social activist, politician)
Parents of Shovana Narayan
SiblingSister- Ranjana Narayan (classical singer, lawyer)
Ranjana Narayan, sister of Shovana Narayan
Favourites
FoodDal Chawal
FilmKaagaz Ke Phool (1959)
BookThe Bhagavad Gita
Holiday DestinationVienna
Instagramshovanatraxl
FacebookShovana Narayan - Asavari Institute for Kathak
Twitter@NarayanShovana
YouTube@shovananarayan2852

Shovana Narayan

Some Lesser Known Facts About Shovana Narayan

  • Shovana started learning Kathak when she was 2.5 or 3 years old. Her first dance trainer was Indian dancer and actress Sadhana Bose, and she gave her first stage performance when she was just 4 years old.

    Shovana Narayan's first dance guru, Sadhana Bose

    Shovana Narayan’s first dance guru, Sadhana Bose

  • Her parents were also Kathak dancers. They exposed Shovana in her infant years to music, dance, literature, and chanting of Sanskrit Shloks. Her mother used to play the esraj, and her father used to play the flute.
  • From 1964 onwards, she was trained for over 8 years under the famous Kathak maestro late Pandit Birju Maharaj, who used to visit her residence daily to give her Kathak lessons and charged no penny. On weekdays, the practice would continue for 4 hours in the late evening, and on holidays, she would practice the entire day, until Shovana’s back gave up.

    Kathak Guru of Shovana Narayan, Pandit Birju Maharaj

    Kathak Guru of Shovana Narayan, late Pandit Birju Maharaj

  • Pandit Birju Maharaj used to do Shovana Narayan’s makeup before her stage performances. She once had to get permission from the Miranda College’s authorities to allow him to enter the women’s hostel to do her makeup.

    Shovana Narayan with her Guru Birju Maharaj in 2018

    Shovana Narayan with her Guru Birju Maharaj in 2018

  • Shovana Narayan stood out as a Kathak star for collaborating classical Kathak with Westernized dance forms like Classical Ballet, Western Flamenco, and American tap dance.

    Shovana Narayan performing in Franz Schubert's opera Shakuntala in Vienna

    Shovana Narayan performing in Franz Schubert’s opera Shakuntala in Vienna

  • Shovana Narayan is fighting serious health problems. A brain stroke attacked her in the 90s, leading to the loss of 50% of her vision. She also has a hole in her heart and is going through serious skin, shoulders, and knee illnesses.
  • In an interview, Shovana Narayan said that her health problems are the only challenges in her life, and Kathak gives her the strength to fight them. She said,

    It was dance and total immersion in it that gave me strength, courage and a nonchalant approach to face life on my terms. For me Kathak dance is yoga; it is total meditation; it is bhakti-yoga and bhakti marg to elevate the inner self.

  • Shovana holds a strong belief in the importance of the Gurukul-Parampara tradition.

    Shovana Narayan practising a Guru-Shishya Parampara ritual on Basant Panchami

    Shovana Narayan practising a Guru-Shishya Parampara ritual on Basant Panchami

  • Her dance performances and choreographies are based on social, environmental, and women issues.

    Shovana Narayan pictured while performing the role of Indian freedom warrior Begum Hazrat Mahal at Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (2022)

    Shovana Narayan pictured while performing the role of Indian freedom warrior Begum Hazrat Mahal at Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (2022)

  • For Kathak, Shovana has received more than 40 national and international awards.
  • Shovana Narayan is a writer and researcher. She has many research papers and books published under her name.
  • Her book ‘Kathak Lok: Temples, Traditions & History’ (in collaboration with Geetika Kalha) has been converted into a dance film titled ‘Kathak Log of Kathak Villages” – A Living Brahmanical Tradition of Kanta Sammit Updesh.’

  • Shovana Narayan tried to explore her acting skills in the Hindi documentary ‘Akbar’s Bridge’ (1996) in which she played the lead actress.
  • Two other documentary films, ‘Born to Dance’ (2016) and ‘Das Geheimnis des Indisches Tanzhave’ (1987) have been made on Shovana Narayan’s life. The former is directed by Beenu Rajput while the latter by a German film director, Jorn Thiel. Robert Gottlieb, an American film director, also made a film on Shovana Narayan.
  • Being an exceptional organiser, she creates and directs festivals promoting Kathak in the country. For example, ‘Rhythm & Joy’ and ‘Lalit Arpan Festival.’
  • Shovana is also a social worker and participates in many fundraising events. She was a part of the project for raising funds for families affected by calamities like the Tsunami and wars like the Kargil War.
  • Shovana is environmentally sensitive and supports ‘The Climate Reality Project India.’ She once remarked,

    She says, “I’ve always felt that dance and the environment are one. We get connected to the environment through dance and I’ve always been a supporter.”

  • She has also tried opera singing. Her opera pieces are ‘Ghalib ki Dilli’ and ‘Wicchare Pani.’
  • She is a casual alcoholic person, who is often spotted drinking wine.

    Shovana Narayan holding a glass of wine at an art exhibition

    Shovana Narayan holding a glass of wine at an art exhibition

  • She also worked for a Ph.D. in solid-state physics; however, she had to leave it midway as she cleared the Civil Services examination.
  • Shovana made a dance video on the legend and philosophy of the immortal Khajuraho temples, entitled ‘Dance of the Temples.’ She is the first dancer to do this.
  • She established the ASAVRI institution in 1979. It is a centre of learning that gives training in Kathak, vocal and instrumental music.

    Shovana Narayan conducting a dance workshop

    Shovana Narayan conducting a dance workshop

  • Shovana Narayan also set the trend of introducing lights to emphasize the sounds of footwork unique to the Kathak for the viewers. Her choreography titled ‘Dhwani-Pratidhwani’ (1986-87) is based on this.
  • She is the first Indian classical dancer to collaborate with Spanish Flamenco, Western Classical ballet, and American tap dance.
  • The soliloquy tradition of the North Indian dance form has been revived by Shovana Narayan with her performances on Yashodha and Shakuntala.
  • In 1975, Shovana Narayan performed in front of the U.K. King Prince Charles III.

    Prince Charles III (then Prince Charles) complimenting Shovana Narayan on her dance performance in 1975

    Prince Charles III (then Prince Charles) while complimenting Shovana Narayan on her dance performance in 1975

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