Gaddam Padmaja Reddy won Padma Shri for which dance form?

The correct answer is Kuchipudi.

Key Points

• Gaddam Padmaja Reddy 
  • Gaddam Padmaja Reddy, a well-known Kuchipudi dancer, received the Padma Shri award in 2022 for her tireless efforts to advance the dance style.
  • Former President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Padma Shri to Padmaja Reddy.
  • She is from Pamarru, a village located about 15 kilometres away from Kuchipudi.
  • For nearly 50 years, she has been performing Kuchipudi.
  • She is renowned for bringing to life on stage the illustrious past and beauty of the Kakatiya empire.
  • The 51-year-old Hyderabadi dancer has performed in more than 3000 concerts across 100 nations.
  • She was also influenced by the book Nritta Ratnavali, which describes classical and traditional dance.
  • At the age of five, she started dancing.

Additional Information

• She performed and directed part 1 of Kakatiyam in 2017. The second part of it was conducted in 2021.
• Together with approximately 100 other dancers, she gave a stunning Kuchipudi performance that earned her a lot of praise and admiration.
• Over the course of her 40-year dance career, she has won numerous honours and rewards.
• The Sangeeta Nataka Akademi Award, the highest honour awarded by the Indian government to working artists, was one of her largest honours. 
• She was the first person from Telangana to ever get this honour, which was given to her by former President Pranab Mukherjee in 2016.