Dr Priya Menon, born and brought up in Ramanattukara in the Kozhikode district of Kerala, raised her life through dancing. She is an excellent dancer, scholar, innovator, and brilliant teacher. Her unending passion for dance helped her to resurrect from the ashes of pain. The notion of her daughter, along with the support from her mother, made her bold enough to face the fate of being widowed during pregnancy.
She inspires many women from different walks of life to cope with their problems. Her innovative venture, “Gowrisankaram”, named after her daughter Gowri has become a healing tonic for depressed minds.
Challenging Childhood
Priya started learning dance at the age of three and a half years. As the family was abandoned by her father, at the age of twelve, she began her career by tutoring small students to meet her educational expenses. She attended dancing schools where she could afford the fees. Priya couldn’t continue her dance classes because of the trauma created by her father’s unhealthy approach after the reunion. She overcame those traumas with the help of her teachers and her mother.
Her Happiness
During this time, she met Vijesh, her neighbour, who was a relief for her. It leads to their marriage. After marriage, Priya joined college, continued her studies and started a dance school, “Bhavana”, in her hometown. Her happy married life at the end of her challenging childhood with the one she loved lasted only four years. She lost him in a car accident shortly after being named the “Perfect Couple” in a reality competition organised by a popular television network. Gradually she arose from the pain like a flame, shedding light on the lives of many.
The Dance Therapy
Priya aimed to think of something unique. She tried to apply what dance has done to her life to those who were suffering outside, which encouraged her to start sessions for chemo patients and ladies suffering from domestic issues and other diseases. The response was intensely positive. Those who were at a phase of accepting loss and bereavement found peace in “Gowrisankaram”
A Perfect Teacher
She is a strict teacher, always punctual, keeping all traditional values, but equally admired by her students. They all await to merge in Priya’s dance therapy to forget their worries. Thus she established herself as the only classical dance therapist in Kerala.
Achievements
During the terrible epidemic, she successfully led online classes facing all hardships. She had participated in an infotainment programme and was remarked as the best performer in that show. Priya not only, earned financial aid for her venture but also influenced viewers and motivated them with her life and dance therapy. Her ecstatic performance, blended with boldness and knowledge, made her fame wide. She has a range of nearly three hundred students from the age of three and half years to seventy-three years all over Kerala and abroad.
Recognition
Dr Priya received the “J C Daniel Best Performance Award” in 2020. She was also honoured with the “Vanitha Ratnam Award 2022” as a part of the women’s parliament organised by the National Commission for women and Kerala Women’s Commission and conferred with an award from the Department of women and Child Development, Kozhikode district.
From her mental strength and life experiences, let this strong lady, with her aim, support and powerful aura of dance therapy, always pour hope and relief around with her flawless anklets.