Damayanti Joshi

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Damayanti Joshi (1932 in Mumbai – 2004) grew up in the household of General Sokhey and his wife, the torch-bearer of Indian dance in the 1930s, Madame Menaka, under whose guideance she initially trained in Kathak under Pandit Sitaram Prasad. She danced and toured the world in Menaka's troupe from the time she was five and by 15 she had already performed at all the major cities of Europe, and was also receiving a full education. The Sokheys had employed Damayanti's biological mother and she was a rock that always stood by her daughter.

After the mid-1950s, Damayanti established herself as a successful solo Kathak dancer, taking training from Pandits Achhan Maharaj, Lachhu Maharaj and Shambhu Maharaj of the Lucknow gharana and Guru Hiralal of the Jaipur gharana. She also taught Kathak at Indira Kala Vishvaidyalaya, Khairagarh, and Kathak Kendra in Lucknow. She has been honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1968) and the Padma Shri (1970). She was also the guru to Bireshwar Gautam.