India International School
A Non-profit organization, serving the community since 1984
Welcome to India International School.
We are a non-profit organization,
registered in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Languages - Hindi, Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Punjabi,Malayalam , Marathi, Sanskrit & Chinese
Astha Naval-( Hindi ) - Astha Naval is a PhD in Hindi Dramatics from Delhi, India. She has been contributing in Hindi creative writing from past many years and is active in dramatics as well.
She is a recipient of three national awards in creative writing. Before coming to USA she was teaching Hindi in Delhi University's Miranda College. She has hosted many shows on national TV channel of India.
Currently she is working as a Hindi Curriculum Developer in International Centre for Language Studies in Washington D.C.
Balarajan Pulluvanthidil-(Malayalam) is a retired Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer teaching Malayalam . As an active member of the IFS, served in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi and in various countries around the world: Pakistan, Chile, Bangladesh, Ireland, Sri Lanka, the USA and Nigeria. Since 1999 he has worked in Washington area - as a Business Development Coordinator and Immigration Coordinator in a law firm. He also worked as a Language and Culture Instructor from December 2003 to September 2006 in the Schultz National Foreign Service Training Center (NFTC). Taught Malayalam to US Diplomats posted to India. Currently, he is self-employed as an independent Consultant..
Eshwari komaragiri-(Telugu)
Latha Shankar -(Tamil) is a professional teacher. She is a native Tamil speaker and has been trained in Tamil by Tamil Pandit Visalakshi Shankar Iyer, from Tamizh Kalluri Thanjhavur, Tamilnadu. Besides Tamil and English, she is fluent in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Sanskrit. She is also an avid carnatic music singer and budding hindustani classical singer. She has acted in many Tamil, Hindi and Marathi plays through school, college and university.
She has extensive experience in teaching students in a classroom environment at the high school level and at the University level. She holds a Masters degree in Organic Chemistry from IIT Bombay, and Masters degree in Bioanalytical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. She is currently working on her Doctoral degree in Education at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. She is an author of many research publications and has presented talks at various International conferences. Latha has been volunteering for India International School for last 5 years
Madhu Maheshwari-(Hindi) Madhu Maheshwari has been teaching Hindi passionately for 20 years to children, university students, diplomats, ambassadors, and language supervisors. She has taught Hindi at Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins, SAIS, and Diplomatic Language School, Washington Language School and taught students from State Department. She was a Pedagogical expert for the Developing Lang Net Interactive. Highest university evaluations demonstrate her creative Hindi teaching. Her students appeared in Fairfax County exams for 8 years, 30 got high school language credit after intensive writing training. Many passed the Penn State Proficiency exam, Pravshika exam given by Indian Embassy. Masterfully creating any level of curriculum their context equaled success. Her training and reading of Hindi literary works are vibrantly reflected in her curriculum. Her own Hindi plays connect Indian culture, history and spiritual themes, ancient, medieval and modern history. Teaching is fun filled with games, objects, skits, grammar and acting. The tempo is set at the median learning curve of the class. Learning modules include speaking, reading, writing, acting, reciting and listening. Plays performed by her students leave audience spellbound by their enormous charm and energy and have been shown on Local TV programs. Her plays helped the Rajdhani Mandir in its fund raising. She has initiated the yearly 'Smarika' project at India International School for raising funds for the Indian Cultural Center.
She has a Masters Degree from India; studied linguistics in U.S.A. at universities. She was a panel speaker at many Universities like Yale, Columbia, and John Hopkins and others. She was invited guest speaker at Yuvavani radio program, Voice of America and many Hindi conventions. She won numerous awards for Hindi literary writing, and was featured in the Doordarshan movie for her promotional work of Hindi in U.S.A. In 2005, she was selected by the State Department to recite her poetry at their first interactive conference, televised in India and at the American Embassy in New Delhi. She has co-edited a book called 'Dishantar' which was used as a course book at Yale University. She is a Hindi activist, was a chairperson of International Hindi Association for 7 years, and successfully organized many Kavi Sammelens and many literary activities in the Washington Metropolitan Area. She is an active volunteer at AMURT and other area organizations.
Mohua Mukherjee-(Bangla)
Meenu Nanda (Hindi) was an active participant and teacher at the Gurukul style school in Seattle, before moving to this area. She brings the experience of teaching Hindi to 'non-Indians' who travel to India, through the Berlitz learning center. She herself did her school education in US and maintains strong ties with the Indian culture. She is an active volunteer of the India International School as well.
Rajesh R - Sanskrit An engineer by profession, passionate about samsrkitam. Have been associated with Samskrita Bharati (http://www.samskritabharati.org) for quite some time, conducted numerous "speak samskritam" workshops in the DC area, currently serve as DC area's Samskrita Bharati's coordinator.
Sasmita Khuntia- Sanskrit
Uma Kapila teaches conversational Hindi. She has two master's degrees: one in English Literature from Agra University, India, and the other in Linguistics from York University, UK In addition, she has done post graduate diploma of TEFL from Edinburgh, UK and Central Institute of English and foreign languages in Hyderabad, India. She has been teaching for more than 25 years. She has taught Hindi as a foreign language in UK She has taught English as a second language at university level in India and in Saudi Arabia. She has trained teachers of English at the institute of English, Chandigargh., India. Currently she is teaching English as a second language in Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale and Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland.
Music - Vocal - Hindustani Classical and Carnatic
Dhwanit Joshi Poetry a Love, music a passion, singing a romance, composing a pleasure and caring the music of his or yours a weakness- that's how the students will come to recognize Dhwanit Joshi. A music graduate from Faculty of Performing Arts, M.S. University in Baroda, Dhwanit is equally fluent in Ghazal, Sugam Sangeet, Film Music, folk songs, and other popular patterns of Indian music. As a musician, he knows how to blend various musical traditions like Indian Classical, Folk, Western Music, Jazz and Blues, etc. As a child of 8 years, Dhwanit began learning music from his first Guru and Uncle Shree Narendra Joshi, who is himself a renowned composer. Dhwanit is a diverse and talented musician, with expertise in playing piano, keyboards, guitar, flute and Harmonium. He has conducted musical group "Swardhanush" in India and "Once More Enteratinment" in USA. He has rendered stage performances in the UK, and across USA as a singer and band leader. As a composer and music director, Dhwanit has recorded many albums, scored background music for TV serials on ETV, Zee TV, Sahara, and Door Darshan. And he has trained students from age 6 to 60.
Humayun Khan teaches Hindustani vocal and keyboard. In 1990, he studied classical music from Shubha Sankaran. He then traveled to Calcutta and began formal training in vocal music under the tutelege of Ustad Vilayat khan. In 1995, he received further guidance from Ustad Fateh Ali Khan. Humayun received grants from the DC government for the study of vocal music along with accompaniment for release of music CDs of great vocal masters. He has performed instrumental music for Indian cinema, including the acclaimed movie Kamasutra by Mira Nair, and sang for the BBC radio program Monsoon. He has perfomed in the US, France, Germany, Morocco, etc.
Khyati Joshi teaches Hindustanic classical music. Khyati holds a Visharad Degree (Bachelors of Performing Arts-Vocal) and a Bachelors in Science (Fashion technology). Khyati has been teaching music since 1999. She has trained students for the examinations conducted by Gandharava Maha-Vidhyalaya, India. Khyati has given over 75 solo musical programs, and has judged over 45 music and dandia competitions. Her programs have been aired on ALL India Radio. She has received many district and state level singing competition awards.
Mohua Mukherjee- Rabindra Sangeet Bengali Songs/Ravindra Sangeet
She is a graduate in Hindustani Classical Vocal Music from the prestigious Faculty of Music and Fine Arts of Miranda House, Delhi University. She has learnt under the guidance of Pandit Debu Chaudhuri (Renowned Sitarist and Dean of Faculty of Music and Fine Arts of Miranda House, Delhi University).
She was pursuing her MA in Indian Classical Music when she got married and joined her husband in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. During her one and a half years stay in Riyadh she gave numerous performances. She also gave many stage and TV performances in various Indian organizations in Washington DC area. Her specialization is in Light and Semi Classical Hindi and Bengali songs (Bhajans etc.). Recently, she has been appreciated for her service as an expert judge at the 19th annual performing Arts Talent Fair organized by the Association of Indians In America, Washington DC chapter. She has also completed early childhood Montessori assistant course offered by the Institute for advanced Montessori studies. She has been a preschool teacher for the last 14 years in the DC area.
Currently she is working on a CD based on modern and semi-classical Indian songs.
Padmini Iyyer has learnt vocal Carnatic music for 18 years. Her early training was under Sri. Neti Sriram Sharma, an All India Radio artist in Hyderabad, India. She continued her training under Sri T.R. Subramaniam ( professor, Delhi university) and also under Smt. Radha Venkatachalam (PhD, Carnatic Music). She has successfully completed the Junior and Senior Level examinations in vocal music and have performed as a child artist on All India Radio, Hyderabad, India. She has been teaching beginner and intermediate level students for the past 5 years in the USA.
Sridevi Dhawala teaches Telugu, Carnatic Music and Light Music. Sridevi was born in a musical family. Got Carnatic Classical music training from Ms.Oruganti Leelavathi who is disciple of Sri Marla Suryanarayana Murthy and Late Sri N.S.Srinivasan. She is also trained in Light Classical and Light Music from Sri. Palagummi Visvanatham and Sri K.Ramachary. She has performed in AIR, TV, and in various shows etc. She has rendered her voice for many recordings, and albums.
Music Instrumental - Sita, Guitar, Flute, Keyboard, Tabla
Daniel Prabhakar teaches Tabla. He has a deep grounding in both Hindustani and Carnatic music. His formal training has been under the guidance of Shri Sachhidanand Phadke in Pune, India. He has been playing Tabla since the age of seven. An excellent tabla player he has accompanied Pt.Ravi Shankar, Pt.Hari Prasad Chaurasia, P. Sushila, S.P.Balasubrahmanyam, Asha Khadilkar, Mallika Pukharaj, Minu Purushotham, Hari Om Sharan, etc. in India and USA. He also plays accordion, guitar and sitar. He has recorded music for many CDs and cassettes. He produces a weekly radio program called Aaradhana at a local radio station.
Don Indrasiri Senaratne is a Violin Maestro. Don started to study music when he was just eleven years old. He was lucky enough to study music under the guidance of well respected musicians of his time. Soon after he finished his high school studies, he was able to receive the most respected certificate of music, the highest achievement for a musician, The Ghandharva Sabha Final Examination, which is for Hindustani music and Sri Lankan folk music. This examination is conducted by the Department of Education of Sri Lanka. Thereafter, at the same school where he first studied music, he was accepted as a music teacher. Three years later he joined the Oriental music band of the Sri Lanka Army. He was a part of the Sri Lankan music group that visited Mexico, USA, Cuba, France and England as per an invitation of the president of Mexico in 1975. In 1976 he joined the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) as a violinist, a conductor, a composer and a music writer. From 1980 to 1987 he worked with one of the most popular Sri Lankan movie music directors, Sarath Dassanayake, as an assistant, a music writer and a conductor. Since he came to the U.S.A. in 1989, he has been involved in various cultural programs contributing his talents as a violinist and as a consultant. Most of these programs were organized by various institutions including the Embassy of Sri Lanka and the World Bank. Other than the violin, maestro Don is also keen on the Saxophone..
Jerome Vincenthas been playing Harmonium, Harmonica and Keyboard for last 27 years. He has a passion for teaching. While in India he formed and managed a Light Music Band called Raagas and a Western Music Band called Blue Ricks. He has performed with many cinemusicians on stage and has also worked with cine music directors in India. Co-founded a Light Music Band in the USA and performed for the Washington Tamil Sangam, Heritage India Festival, Malayalam Association, Telugu Association, and for Cine Artists on many occasions. Freelances for other Bands and has been actively involved with Musical Events for Temples and Churches in the USA.
John Bell began studying North Indian Classical music in 1973. Since 1978, he has spent summers at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California learning from maestros such as Ali Akbar Khan, Zakir Hussain, and Swapan Chaudhuri. He performs weekly at the Bombay Tandoor Restaurant in Vienna on Sitar and Bansuri,as well as at weddings and house concerts in The D.C. area. He also repairs Indian instruments. He teaches the instrumental and vocal compositions of Ali Akbar Khan and welcomes the players of all instruments who want to learn this music.
Moses Chavan is a acclaimed guitarist and sound engineer having performed with many bollywood music directors like Nadeem Shravan. He has performed numerous concerts with renowned musicians and orchestra.
Preetha N-(Veena ) Preetha Narayanaswamy had over 15 years of training in Veena from Smt. Kamala Aswaththama in Chennai. She has performed in all major Sabhas in Chennai, on Doordarshan, All India Radio-Chennai and in the U.S. (including the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, Pittsburgh, New York, Sri Shiva Vishnu Temple (Maryland), and in the Northern Virginia area.)
Recently, within a span of a year, Preetha won awards from 3 prestigious musical institutions in Chennai - The Music Academy and Sri Krishna Gana Sabha for her performances in their music festivals, and a talent promotion award from Narada Gana Sabha. She is a graded artiste of AIR-Chennai
Subash Vinjamuri started playing on the Violin at the tender age of 6, and since has been giving public programs, solo as well as in accompaniment. Subhash initially learnt violin from his father Sriman Vinjamuri Parthasarathi Iyengar, and later studied under Sunadavinoda Violin Mastro Guru Sri Madhala Brahmananda Naidu Garu. As an engineering student at Mysore University, Subhash won first place in Inter-University Classical Music Competitions and The Karnataka Government awarded him with a Gold Medal. Subhash acompanied many popular visiting artists from India, Pakistan, and Afganistan on the violin. He also gave solo performances in India, US and Canada, and has played in AIR and Indian TV. He is often seen in Washington local Indian TV Channels, and has played for Gurudwar Bhajans telecast on Channel 56. Subhash composed Music for several Kuchipudi Dance Ballets produced by Kalamandapam a local dance school, and participated in many fund raising events, including the prestigious dance ballet at Kennedy Center. Subhash teaches both Carnatic and Hindustani music.
Suzan Park - Piano Suzan Park is an accomplished Pianist, performer and teacher. Students in her class can use Keyboard to learn Piano. Suzan has a Bachelor's degree in Music Education, and a Master's degree in Piano Performance from Catholic University- where she is working on a Ph.D in Musical Art. Over the past 10 years, she has given Piano recitals and performances in US and Europe. She has 15 years teaching experience at various schools- currently at Northern Virginia Community College.
Yoga , Taekwondo, Creative Photography,SAT Prep, GT Prep- For Kids and Adults
Anjali Sharma teaches Yoga for Children, ages 6-12. In her Yoga classes, she includes stretching, postures, relaxation, games, stories, snacks and more! She has received her Yoga Teacher Certification from Swami Vivekananda Yoga Therapy and Research Foundation in Bangalore, India. She attended the University of Maryland and received her degree in Dietetics & Nutritional Science, with a minor in Environmental Engineering. She is also one of the founding students of India International School.
Ashok Goyal - Sat Prep, TJ Prep
Dhananjaya Kumar is a founding director and a volunteer administrator of India International School. He teaches Yoga. He is a certified and registered senior Yoga instructor trained at the Integral Yoga Institute, Buckingham, VA. He assists in Music and Indian Philosophy courses. He has successfully conducted seminars in Indian classical music, Yoga and Meditation at various locations, and has moderated seminars for the Indian youth groups. He has been active in many fields of creativity and voluntary public service. He is associated with many other organizations such as doveforpeace.org and yogasystem.com and has moderated groups on non-violence.
Manorama Rani - Creative Photography Manorama has always been interested in photography and has been taking
photographs for many years. She enjoys taking photographs of anything, however,
she particularly enjoys photography of Nature. She likes to capture a moment
through her photographs, of course, keeping the "Art of Photography" in mind.
She feels photography is the best medium to capture a moment in its present, and
it also helps in making memories become alive. She enjoys and continue to learn
from taking workshops and seminars in photography offered by National Geographic
and others. She also does free lance photography. Her photographs, paintings,
dolls and other art and crafts have been exhibited in India and U.S. through
various organization/Institutions. She is also the editor of Shutter Release
newsletter of the IPS (Int'l Photographic Society).She is also a member
of The Professional Photographers Society of Greater Washington. In addition to photography,
she enjoys walking, music, dancing, singing, camping/hiking and most of all
traveling around the world.
Naomi Hauptman - Yoga Naomi is a Yoga practioner and has been certified as a Hatha yoga
teacher through India International School. She has taught beginning,
intermediate, and senior yoga classes at the JCCNV, for Fairfax County
Parks and Recreation as well as Senior Centers.
Naomi is also a trained and certified Reconnective Healing practioner
using vibrational energy to restore the body to health.
Ravina Gambhir has been studying and practicing Yoga for over 20 years. As a certified instructor from India International School and registered with Yoga Alliance, she has taught for more than ten years at numerous organizations including hospitals, schools, health facilities, corporations and other affiliations. Her teachings are designed to integrate the human personality and develop a healthy body, acute inner awareness, and a balanced peaceful mind..
Romil Sharma - Taekwondo
Sudha Sudhanti -Yoga Sudha Sudanthi is a certified yoga instructor through Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, Kerala India. Having spent 2.5 years in India studying yoga, meditation, classical Indian dance and the ancient Indian martial art Kalaripayattu, Sudha returns to her home in Washington, DC to share what has transformed her life.
Before embarking to India, she spent over 6 years in the workforce as a network security engineer at Lucent Bell Labs, and enjoyed success in many different careers while living in Manhattan.
She combines her life experience in the workforce with that of her experience learning contemplative practices in India to show ways for a happier, more balanced, and calmer self in the midst of challenging times.
Sunita Simhal - GT PrepSunita Simhal teaches GT Prep. She received her Masters degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Southern Illinois University. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Biology from Bhopal University. She has been teaching at various academic levels for the last 20 years. She has taught mathematics and computer science at Southern Illinois University and New Hampshire College. She has also taught science and critical thinking skills at elementary and middle school levels.
About GT Prep Class GT Prep and Critical Thinking helps students develop intrinsic skills in problem solving, grasping concepts, organizing thoughts, and develop logical reasoning. These skills are tested in the GT tests, CogAT (Cognative Ability Test) and NNAT (Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test). The students learn verbal reasoning, vocabulary, relational and quantitative concepts, figure classification and analysis, and analogies. The students will participate in activities that involve pattern recognition, deductive reasoning, brainstorming and decision making.
Dance - Bharatnatyam, Bhangra, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Fundamentals of Dance, Fusion()Bollywood) Dance
Anil Bhim Dahal teaches Kathak. Bhim began his career in folk dance as a young child in Nepal . His classical training has been under noted artists like Suresh Mishra and Manoj Suwal, Bidenda Gosh in Kolkata, Shela Mehta in Mumbai, and Bhawani Javada of the Kathak Kendra in Jaipur, India. His expertise is in the Jaipur Gharana (School) of Kathak. He plays the dhime drum, the dhol, the madal, and the flute, although the tabla remains his great passion. Mr. Dahal has developed his talents on that instrument under the guidance of the renowned Homnath Upadhaya. In addition to performing, he also choreographs original pieces for production. In 2002-2003, he became one of the most successful guest artists at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. for the Hamza Exhibition at the Sackler Gallery. His Kathak performances, interpretation of Sufi music, and traditional Hindu temple dance, were heavily attended. His weekly dance classes also became a favorite with audiences. As part of Mr. Dahal's dedication to the art of Kathak, he toured local schools to introduce children to the beauty and richness of the dance. "Making Music", a weekly program given in conjunction with a fellow music educator, offered young people an opportunity to try different Asian instruments, such as the dhime drum, tabla, cymbals, and many others. Additional appearances included Art-o-Matic, local Washington D.C. Nepalese events, and a variety of cultural programs'.
Anjana Ghosh comes
with rigorous training in Bharatanatyam, Kathakali and Mohini Attam,
three classical dance forms from south India. Her degree in
Bharatanatyam is from Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, Ahmedabad,
India, which is also associated with International Cultural Centre for
Folklore Festivals in France. Anjana learnt classical dance forms from
Dr. Mrinalini Sarabhai and has received vigorous training in folk
dances of India from Dr. Mallika Sarabhai, the artistic director and
choreographer of "Janavak" the folklore ensemble. She was the leading
dancer in several classical compositions in their performances in India
and abroad. She was the dancer-manager of the folk dance troupe
representing India in France, the Netherlands, U.K. and Malaysia. A
founding member of SPIC-MACAY (Society for the Promotion of India
Culture-Music and Culture Amongst the Youth, she has conducted numerous
workshops and lecture-demonstrations in various dance forms. She
choreographs and performs contemporary work based on the principles of
India dances and India Martial arts.
Aparna Puri teaches Bhangra to kids and grown-ups. Her students have performed at various events around the DC metro area, including Wolf Trap in the Northern Virginia. She shares her love for Bhangra with immense enthusiasm and deep understanding of the culture it represents.
Asha Vattikuti teaches Kathak. She is trained in Lucknow style of Kathak. An accomplished dancer and choreographer, she has produced a number of well-known dance dramas such as Meghadoot, Vikramaditya, Urvashi, etc. She also teaches basic dance skills to children. She is one of the founding members of IDEA (Indian Dance Educators Association).
Christel Stevens is a scholar, performer and teacher of dances from India. She holds a Master's degree in dance specializing in Bharata Natyam and Manipuri dances of India. She leaned Bharata Natyam at Kalakshetra College of Fine Arts under full scholarship from the Thomas J. Watson Foundation. Later she studied Bharata Natyam at Sriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra under Leela Samson. She has visited Manipur several times for research and training in Manipuri dance. She has a Visharad degree by Sri Sri Govindajee Nartanalaya, now Manipur State Dance College. Along with some colleagues from the American University, she returned to India to conduct a study, "Images of Women in Indian Dance, Sacred and Profane" funded by the Smithsonian Institution Foreign Currency Program. Christel and Nabhaghana Shyama Singha established an educational institution, Nritya Rangham in 1983 in Maryland, and have trained several students in Bharata Natyam, Kathak, Manipuri, folk and tribal dances of India as well as sitar, Tabla and harmonium. She, along with their troupe, has given hundreds of performances all over United States and Canada. Currently, she is a professional lecturer at the American University Department of Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. She also serves as the Secretary of IDEA (Indian Dance Educators Association).
Deepa Iyengar- Fusion Dance
Raashi Rastogi teaches the Fundamentals of Kathak. She has studied Kathak under the tutelage of Asha Vattikuti and graduated from India School five years ago having formally completed her Rangmanchpravesh. In addition to substituting for Ashajis classes since graduating, Raashi has spent the last year volunteering: assisting Ashaji with training her students and with choreographing items. She has participated in a number of workshops conducted by professional dancers which include Manisha Sathe and Nirupama, and has performed both solo and group items with Ashajis troupe at the Kennedy Centers Millenium Stage, the Silk Road Dance Companys Gul Bahaar, and various IDEA sponsored events. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia.
Saikantha Raparla teaches Kuchipudi dance.
Tanu Shrivastav teaches Kathak. Tanu holds Prabhakar in Kathak and Tabla from the Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad. She also has Bachelors and Masters of Science degrees from Delhi University. She was a teacher at the Tarang Dance Academy, Dehradun, before moving to US. Tanu has given numerous performances in last 12 years, and choreographed many presentations for Dance competitions. She has received many awards for her choreography, solo dance performances and tabla performance.
Teachers - Who have taught in the past
Saraswati Balodi teaches music to 5 - 8 year old children. She has master's degrees in music and Sanskrit from Benaras Hindu University, India. She has taught Music in U.P., India from 1987 - 1995. She composes music and plays various instruments', including Tanpura, Harmonium, Tabla, Jal Tarang and Banjo.
Meeta Bhatnagar teaches Introduction to Dance to 5-8 year olds, and also the classical dance style of Odissi. She received her training from Mayadhar Raut in Delhi for ten years, and also from Guru Sonal Mansingh, the internationally known and nationally acclaimed Odissi dancer. She is a member of IDEA (Indian Dance Educators Association). She has given several Odissi workshops in local private and public schools, is a member of CAP (Creative Arts Program) of Fairfax County, and has been teaching for the past four years in USA.
Swomya Natrajan teaches Veena. Sowmya had her vocal training under Sri Krishnamoorthy of the Karaikudi vocal style. Her initial veena training was under Srimati Jayalakshmi, a disciple of Sri Pichumani Iyer. Her advanced lessons were under Veena Maestro Dr Chittibabu. She has won many inter and intra collegiate music competitions and has performed at the Thyagaraja Aradhana in India and US. She has been performing and teaching in US for the past four years and has performed in Phoenix, NJ and Philadelphia. She currently teaches music theory, thiruppugazh and vocal and veena lessons to both beginner and intermediate students of varied age groups.
Purvi Bhatt a dance educator, choreographer and performer has been purusing the North Indian Classical dance, Kathak for past 20 years. She is schooled in detailed nuances of Lucknow Gharana by her 'Guru' Shri Vasantrao Ghadge of Mumbai. She received her Bachelors (Nritya Visharad) with First Class in Kathak from Ahkil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. She is the Founder & Director of Lasya Dance Academy, a school of Kathak & Folk dance in Fairfax, VA. She had a privilege of performing at many presitgious institutions in India as well as in USA. She has been acclaimed by many prestigious awards in both the countries. She is a dance director at Durga Temple and is also heading the cultural committee on the Executive Board.
Chandra Desaram teaches Hindustandi Classical vocal and instrumental music. He received Sangeet Visharad in 1965 from Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth in Lucknow, India. An excellent Sitar player, he has been teaching Sitar, Flute. Violin, Harmonium, Esraj and Tabla since 1969. He has also composed music for films and plays.
Dr. Krishna Gairola teaches Indian History through Art and Architecture. He has a Ph.D. in Archaeology from the University of London, UK, and D.E.L. (Diplome de l'Ecole du Louvre) in History of Arts from Paris, France. He has been an Alexander Von Humboldt Scholar (Munich), and a Senior Fellow of the Smithsonian Institution, USA. He has served in the Indian Foreign Service as a Cultural Attaché, taught Indology and Art History at universities in India, Europe and the USA.
Sheila Oak teaches Fundamentals of Dance with a strong emphasis on classical dance training. she graduated from IIS after an extensive training in Kathak under Asha Vattikuti. She is a student at George Mason University. She has performed locally and in other cities in U.S..
Shyam Pai is back by popular demand to teach devotional music based on the classical ragas. Shyam comes from a family of accomplished musicians and is trained in the classical music under the tutelage of his father the late Sant Keshav Das, and Tabla under the tutelage of maestros such as Ustad Zakir Hussein and Pundit Swapan Chowdhry. He has taught Hindustani classical music and Tabla at India International School and elsewhere for the past several years. He has recorded Bhajans on CDs. We are very happy that he is back in the area and has joined our faculty to teach music again.
Asmita Runge teaches Yoga. She is a certified Yoga Instructor having received her training at the Integral Yoga Institute in Buckingham, Virginia. She received a Masters degree in French Literature from Michigan State University and an MBA from George Mason University.
Joya Shrivastava teaches a section of Introduction to Music. Joya has earned the esteemed 'Sangeet Visharad' from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad University, India in 1989. She has been teaching music to children and adults alike in the area since 1997.
Prathima Raghu pursed her interest in Carnatic music at an early age. She is a senior student of Smt. Subashree Mani. She has been teaching Carnatic vocal music for over 10 years for children of various age groups. She has rendered vocal assistance in âPoornachandrikaâ, a dance production by Smt. Sreelatha Vinod.
Pandit Yogesh Samsi who teaches at the Ustad Alla Rakha Institute of music in Mumbai, India, will conduct summer tabla workshops at India International School. Born in the family of the renowned vocalists Pandit Donkar and Smt. Shashikala Kaikini, Yogesh was initiated in tabla by his father at the age of six. He continued under the guidance of Pandit H. Taranath Rao, and since the age of ten has been under the tutelage of Ustad Alla Rakha. An 'A' grade artist of All India Radio and Doordharshan and a gifted musician with a keen sense of rhythm and an intricate understanding of tala, Yogesh has given numerous solo performances in India and the U.S. He has accompanied many musicians of repute viz. Pandit Dinkar Kaikini, Late Pandit K.G. Ginde, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Siv Sharma, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pandit Ram Narayan, Ustd Sultan Khan, Smt. Shobha Gurtu, Ustad Shahid Pervez, Dr. N. Rajam, Ustad Rashid Khan. He also has accompanied Ustad Alla Rakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain in their solo performances.
Surendra Rajak Surendra Rajak teaches Keyboard. He has been playing Accordion, Harmonium and Keyboard for last 30 years. Surendra is the founder of HindiMIDI.com where he has been helping Indian music performers all over the world via online/distant learning since 1993. While in India he has formally learnt film orchestration and played with Bollywood legends such as late R D Burman. He still works with studios in India to produce Indian Folk music. Surendra uses his knowledge of both western notation and Indian Raga to teach students of all calibers.
Heather Zhangteaches Chinese. Ms. Zhang holds a BA in Education, specializing in English from Shenyang Normal University in P.R.China, Teaching Certificate in English Language & Literatures from Beijing Foreign Languages University, and MS in IT from Bloomsburg University in PA, USA. Ms. Zhang has taught ESL for many years, taught a summer IT class in GW. She has been a training software developer for years. Ms.Zhang is willing to help people of all ages who want to learn Chinese and explore the great cultures
Alice J Ikner is a YogaFit trained instructor who has been practicing since 1998. She was first drawn to yoga as a classical musician to help overcome tendonitis, control asthma attacks, keep alert mentally, stay physically fit and reduce stress. AJ believes in creating a yoga that works for each individual. It's your body, your spirit, your yoga. She currently teaches at the Middleburg Fitness Club and maintains a private studio by appointment'.
Jaya Gupta is our resident yoga teacher. Jaya studied at the University of Michigan, NJIT and MIT and worked for almost 21 years as an IT professional. Jaya has been practicing yoga for more than 40 years after learning from her father in India at the age of six. She is a Yoga Alliance registered RYT200 Integral yoga teacher and Certified in the scientifically proven Yoga of the Heart program by Nischala Joy Devi, director of Dr. Dean Ornish program for reversing Heart disease. She serves at Sunrise senior living, hospital, spas, schools, and community centers to relieve the pain of others, help them heal and learn to take care of themselves by practicing meditation, yoga, deep relaxation and breathing techniques.
Ruhee Sathaye began her training in Kuchipudi dance at the age of fourteen with Anuradha Nehru in Bethesda, MD. Since 2002 she has been learning under the tutelage of Mallika Ramprasad of the Bharatha Mallika School of Kuchipudi Dance in Bethesda, MD. Ruhee has performed at various venues throughout the Washington, D.C. area, including The White House, The State Department's Foreign Service Institute and The Library of Congress. She has also performed in several dance dramas and participates in dance immersion camps. Ruhee performed her Kuchipudi Ranga Pravesam (solo dance debut) in 2005 at the Alden Theater in McLean, VA. Recently, she taught Kuchipudi to underprivileged children in Pune, India. Ruhee's career took her from Denmark to New York after graduating from the University of Maryland with a B.S. degree in International Business and French. Ruhee works and teaches at the Metropolitan Fine Arts Center in Fairfax Station, VA. She continues to further her training and performance career in Kuchipudi dance and development as an artiste.
Sudha Radhakrishnan teaches Bharatnatyam. Sudha started learning BharathaNatyam under Padhmashri.Adyar.K.Lakshman and then joined the world renowned institution Kalakshetra to complete my Diploma in BharathaNatyam, Devi College of Fine Arts. She has also learnt under Sri.BalaGopalan,Abhinaya from Smt.Bragha Bessel and folk dance from Smt.Ambika Buch. She has performed for Jayamangala Annual Day Celebration, World Bank, Mylapore Fine Arts,Chennai,India,University of Hyderabad,India ,Bharatha Kalakshetra Auditorium,India,Noida Ayyappa Sangam,Delhi,India, Bangkok for the International Bangkok Festival with Kalakshetra troupe, Reunion Islands(France) with the Kalakshetra troupe Vasanthothsavam,Marundheeshwarar Temple,Chennai,India. She has teaching experience of beginners and advance level classes in BharathNatyam at Bharatha Choodamani (Founder Padmasri Adyar.K.Lakshman),Chennai,India and at the institute 'Anthara' - School for Music and Dance(Founder Smt.Sreelatha Vinodh),Chennai,India.
Sindhura Ganji teaches Kuchipudi. Sindhura started learning dance at the age of 5 and had her first performance at age 7. She has been learning dance for last 14 years, of which 10 years were in India with dance guru Mr. Parameshwar (Warangal, India) and 4 years in US with Mrs. Mallika Ramprasad (Maryland, USA). She has performed at various cultural events in the DC metro area and many performances at the Thousands Pillars Temple in Warangal, India.
Neha Oak will be teaching modern/bollywood dance. She is one of the senior most student of the India International School. She has been learning various dances for many years and has trained little kids in modern and fundamentals of dance, under the guidance of Sheila Oak, who was a teacher at the India International School for many years.
Deepika Gupta teaches Bharatnatyam dance. Dance has always been a passion for this Delhi girl. This passion drew Deepika to her Guru Kalaimamani Saroja Vaidyanathan (a renowned Bharatanatyam exponent, awardee - Padmasri from the Govt. ofIndia, running her institution Ganesa Natyalaya - one of the most successful dance institutions of India, New Delhi ). She began her training at a tender age of ten years & under Guru Saroja's able guidance, Deepika completed her Arangetram (Bachelors Degree in the BharataNãtyam Dance Form) in 1996. Her career took a new turn when she was given a part in one of her Guru's choreography being performed at the prestigious Sangam Festival of Allahabad. Deepika never looked back since then. She realised that the only thing she wanted to do was dance, though she didnot give up her studies. She completed her Graduation in Mathematics (Hons) from Delhi University & Post Graduation in Advertising & Marketing Communications from The National Institute of Advertising, New Delhi. Since 1997, she has given many solo & group performances in & outside India like China, Laos,Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia,Re-Union Island etc. She has won critical acclaims for all performances.
Dr. Neeti Ahluwalia teaches Hindi at Freedom High School. She has studied Linguistics and Teaching of English as a Second Language at the University of Delhi and the University of Virginia. She has a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Testing) from the University of Delhi, and has taught Linguistics and Hindi at the University of Delhi, George Mason University, and Johns Hopkins University. She is also a certified yoga instructor trained at the Integral Yoga Institute at Buckingham, VA. She currently works as a Hindi language consultant for the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland, and also as an ESL and Yoga volunteer and substitute at Fairfax County Public Schools.
Dilraj Singh teaches conversational Punjabi. She holds a Bachelors Honors degree in Commerce from Delhi University and Bachelors degree from GMU. She is an experienced software engineer, who had worked in the past with Verizon. She is fluent in three different languages.