President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Padma Awards on eminent personalities from diverse fields at the second Civil Investiture Ceremony of 2026 held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The ceremony honoured individuals whose outstanding contributions have enriched the nation's social and cultural landscape. Among the awardees, renowned dancer and dance teacher Kalamandalam Vimala Menon received the Padma Shri from the President in recognition of her distinguished contribution to the field of performing arts.

Smt. Kalamandalam Vimala Menon is the vision and stimulus behind the present-day Mohiniyattam style in its aesthetic, costume, hairdo, instrumentalization and even presentation pattern which is the face of Mohiniyattam style today. Her 65 years of dedication molded her into an extraordinary teacher, performer, artepreneur, choreographer, innovator, author, writer, makeup artist, costume designer, tailor and an organizer. 

Born on 7th January, 1942 , Smt. Menon founded the Kerala Natya Academy in 1972 to nurture and propagate India’s traditional dance forms, later expanding its reach to Malaysia and Singapore. Guided by her mantra ‘Art is for everyone’, she offered lifelong, free training to underprivileged students, personally funding all educational and performance-related expenses. Having trained over five generations and more than 10,000 students, she pioneered the introduction of Kuchipudi in Kerala.

Smt. Menon, from the young age, recognised the power of art as a nation’s vital soft power and devoted her journey to using classical dance as a medium for peace, unity, inclusion, and human development. She transformed dance into a social bridge that transcends boundaries, empowered underprivileged communities through free training, upheld the true spirit and aspects of the Guru-Shishya tradition, with a holistic vision of women’s leadership, community engagement and cultural policy and standing out as a luminous example of how artist can shape social and cultural consciousness of a nation.

Mastery over trio claasical dance forms - Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, and Kuchipudi, Smt. Menon evolved a distinctive training system that guides students in a structured progression, shaping versatile dancers grounded in classical aesthetics, expressive depth, and diverse cultural narratives. Her artistic vision expanded based on original compositions, transitioning solo to group choreography, the inclusion of Kerala vadyas such as Edekka, Timila, and Maddalam, redefining the repetoire with varient krits and compositions marked her identity in the fertemity. An author of seminal works including ‘Laasya Mohini’ and ‘Bharatanatyavum Sastravum Charithravum’, she broadened the visual language. By taking Mohiniyattam to global stages across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, USA, and many other countries her courageous leadership in key cultural institutions shaping policy, curriculum, festivals, and adjudication, strengthened India’s classical arts landscape with clarity, tradition, and vision.

Over the years, Smt. Menon illustrious career has earned wide recognition at the international, national, and state levels, marking her as one of the most distinguished figures in Indian classical dance. At the global level, she achieved a Guinness World Records (2006) for presenting 1200 Mohiniyattam dancers on a single stage, a historic feat that brought international attention to the art form. Both at nationally and state levels, she has been honoured with Kerala Sri Award (2025), Nrityaratna Samman (2025), Nritha Natya Puraskar (2020), Kalaratna Fellowship (2012), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2006), Kerala Kalamandalam Award (2004), and Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award (1991). Women of the Year Award (2020), along with the honorific titles Natyaratna and Keerthy patra, revealing a career of sustained excellence and cultural leadership.

 

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