Alekhya Punjala

Alekhya Punjala is an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and dance teacher from Telangana. She is an exponent in Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam. She has received the Ugadi Vishishtha Award and the Hamsa Award from the Andhra Pradesh government. She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Kuchipudi in 2011. She has also been awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.

Biography Alekhya was born on 9 April 1962, in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Her husband P. Vinay Kumar is a surgeon-gastroenterologist. They married in 1982 and the couple has two sons, Sashwath Punjala and Devansh Punjala. She said that Dayal intended to teach her Odissi and Kathak, but she became interested in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. Later, she trained in Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam under Uma Rama Rao, and in abhinaya (acting) under Guru Pashumarthi Krishnamurthy.

Alekhya holds a bachelor's degree in English literature, psychology, and philosophy; a master's degree in dance (Bharatanatyam) from Osmania University; and a master's degree in ancient Indian history, culture, and archaeology. Alekhya received her PhD for her study of the acting aspect of Kuchipudi dance, with title Kshetrayya Padams and their importance in Abhinaya in Kuchipudi Dance. Her dance performance as Rudrama Devi, Dushala and Chakali Ilamma are also noteworthy. She has performed many works in Kuchipudi dance form, including Annamacharya Kirtans, poems of Kshetrayya, works of Thyagaraja, Narayana Teertha, Rabindranath Tagore's works, and also choreographed on themes such as 'Bhakti Movement in Dance'. She has also been awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.

At a function held to mark the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence, Alekhya Punjala was honoured by then Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for her contributions to the field of dance.