British Citizen Award for India born dancer Ragasudha

Ragasudha Vinjamuri, the Bharatanatyam danseuse India born was honoured with British Citizen Award for her contribution to Performing Arts in the last decade on September 29. The awards ceremony held at the House of Lords of British Parliament/Palace of Westminster saw the presence of renowned people including Dame Mary Perkins, Wendy Pretten, and actor Tim Vincent, who was also the host. Twenty-four people from across the UK have been bestowed with the award for services to the community, health, volunteering, and in the field of art. 

Excited to be honoured, Ragasudha says, “It was an amazing feeling and experience that 12 years of effort, much different and beyond my day job as an academician got acknowledged. Such recognition gives more impetus to me to continue doing things further. In the field of dance there are so many things to explore in terms of themes and topics. It’s a great feeling to appear on the Roll of Honour. I am grateful to all the opportunities and to each of those who believed in my art. The journey continues... Gurubhyonnamaha!”

Ragasudha, a native of Hyderabad, in fact, was the first artiste to perform Bharatanatyam 24 times in both Houses of British Parliament. Her name was even included in the Limca Book of Records 2018 for her dancing feat. Interestingly, her first-ever performance at the British Parliament was on Lord Shiva on the composition Adhyatma Ramayan Kirtan. She is currently a resident of London, UK, and has performed on a variety of themes and occasions, from the International Yoga Day to the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign. Ragasudha has also been a recipient of the coveted Asian Media Honorary Award for her contribution in the fields of culture and language.