Achuta Manasa is one of the leading exponents of Kuchipudi dance. She has an experience of more than nineteen years in Kuchipudi dance. She sharpened her dancing skills under the tutelage of Gurus like Guru Smt Madhu Nirmala, Guru Sri Narasayya, Sri Mahankali Suryanarayana Sarma, and Guru Devaparijatham. She is honoured with various awards, accolades and appreciation for her immense contribution in the field of Kuchipudi.
Early Life of Achuta Manasa
She was born on November 7 in Andhra Pradesh state of India. Her parents are Mr. Ravi Chandra and Mrs. Rajya Lakshmi. She received her degree in engineering and worked in a software company for some time. However, she left her job to fully dedicate her time to Kuchipudi.
Career of Achuta Manasa
Achuta kick started her dance career at the age of six. Impressed by her performance when she was only ten, the Cultural Ministry of the Government of India supported her with scholarships to pursue her training for the next decade. In the beginning, she learned the basics of this dance from Guru Smt Madhu Nirmala and Guru Sri Narasayya. Then she received training in Kuchipudi for three consecutive years from renowned Guru Sri Mahankali Suryanarayana Sarma where a strong foundation has been laid. Later she honed her skills under the patronage of Guru Devaparijatham, Raja Hamsa and Natyavisarada Sri Kaza Venkata Subrahmanyam.
She is credited to have rendered over 800 plus solo Kuchipudi recitals at various prestigious platforms in and across the country. She has been declared A Graded artist by Doordarshan. She was a "Member of International Dance Council CID- UNESCO" for the year 2011. She had the prestigious opportunity to give performance representing India for the 31st World Congress on Dance Research in Greece.
Awards of Achuta Manasa
Her immense contribution in the field of Kuchipudi dance made her earn a number of awards and accolades. Some of her awards are as follows-
•Achuta was honoured with Prathibha Puraskar by Acharya Nagarjuna University.
•She was also honoured with NTR memorial `Telugu Mahila Award`.
•She earned the titles of Natyamayuri and Natya Kalamai.
•She also earned Ugadhi Puraskaram.
•She is the recipient of prestigious international award "UNESCO Millennium Best Cultural Ambassador".