Alekhya Punjala

Alekhya Punjala, former registrar of Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, has the distinction of being the first woman to adorn this chair in the 32 years history of Telugu University. An acclaimed exponent of the two classical dance forms, Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam, the Sangeet Natak Akademi winner has brought alive many ballets on mythological, historical as well as contemporary women who have stood up to their individuality and rights. Some prominent ones are Draupadi, Satyabhama, Rukmini, Radha, Parvati, Durga, Kali, Rudrama, Stri, Lakuma, Nayaki and others. Known for her innovative repertoire with traditional touch, she is a choreographer par excellence. 

Bestowed with the title Abhinaya Tapasvini by the prestigious Sahitya Peetham of Andhra Pradesh at an early age, Alekhya has been decorated with several prestigious National and International awards for her contribution in the field of dance. 

Known for her Sathvikabhinaya, Alekhya was awarded a Ph. D for her wide-ranging work on Kshetrayya Padams – their importance in the abhinaya aspect of Kuchipudi dance – A historical perspective. Alekhya has performed extensively all over the world and presented papers on dance at many conferences. Under the banner of Spic Macay, the versatile dancer has given lecture demonstrations in schools and colleges. 

As an artistic director of Trishna, a centre she founded in her quest for excellence, she strives to inspire and nurture young talent and also contribute her might in building a legacy of future generation of artists. She is also Dean, School of Fine Arts, where she has been working and imparting knowledge for close to three decades. The dancer has also authored “The Splendour of Telugu Performing Arts” and “Rudrama Devi”.

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