Aishwarya Raja

Aishwarya Raja belongs to the Chirakkal Kovilakam royal family. She was born in the Kannur region of Kerala, to Sandhya Raja and A.C.Krishnakumar. She is a Bharatanatyam exponent; she started learning the art form at a young age of five, performing her Arangetram at a very tender age of eight.

Her first guru was Sri Raju under whose guidance her Arangetram took place in the Kollur Moogambikkai Temple. Aishwarya has been passionate about the art of dancing. She is currently learning the art under RLV Anand.

She gave her first solo performance when she was twelve years old in Kozhikode. The event was presided over by Padmashree Dhananjayan, who was in awe of her rendition. Her respect for the art form and her grace on stage are the things that put her in the spotlight. She has performed predominantly in Kerala and occasionally in Chennai.

The awards in her kitty are innumerable. She was titled the Kalathilakam by Sahodhaya Malabar Kalotsavam in the year 2003. She has consecutively bagged the first place in Bharathanatyam for four years in the state-run Kalotsavams, which is an achievement.

She has been the recipient of the CCRT Scholarship for Bharathanatyam for five consecutive years. She has performed in the Swathi Thirunal festivals and also been a part of the Kalabharathi National Youth Dance Fest in the year 2014 and 2015.

She has also got on the stage of Gana Mukundha Priya Sabha in Chennai. She bagged the Gold Cup presented by the Jawaharlal Nehru Charitable and Educational Trust for finishing first in the State Kalotsavam held in 2010.

Though she has been learning Bharatanatyam from a very young age, it never stopped her from learning other forms of dance. She has given award-winning performances Mohiniattam and Kuchipudi. She has also performed Kathakali, The dance of Kerala, in the 48^th State Kalothsavam.

Bharathanatyam has never held back Aishwarya from performing well in other fields. Being a studious girl, she scored cent percent marks on her 10^th board exams as well as her 12^th board exams. Her excellence in the board exams got her a Laptop and Certificate from the Government of Kerala.

Her school presented her with a 12-gram gold coin as a commemoration to her academic excellence. This excellent academic performance had secured her an MBBS seat at the K.S.Hegde Medical College, and she is pursuing the same.

She has also debuted as an actress in Tamil cinema starring in the film ‘Pallikoodam Pogamale Pass Boss’. It was a family drama involving the Education system, directed by Jayaseelan and Produced by Thambi in the year 2014. The film received was acclaimed by the critics and audiences alike. Aishwarya’s performance as a debutant was much appreciated.