Prithvi
Earth · Foundation
An ocean of art, rooted in practice
The name says everything. Kalā, art. Arnava, ocean. Kalaarnavaa — an ocean of art: vast enough to hold every learner, deep enough to keep a lifetime of practice, and always moving.
Our story
A foundation that can keep growing
Founded and led by Smt. Pooja Raj — a Bharatanatyam artist and disciple of Guru Dr. Sanjay Shantaram — Kalaarnavaa is a classical dance and music academy in Bengaluru where we don't just teach dance. We mentor every student personally: refining each movement, clearing every doubt, and guiding each dancer towards their own voice in the classical arts.
From a child's first adavu to an adult returning to a long-loved art, students of every age learn here with patience, discipline and joy — and carry that grounding to sacred temple stages and cultural festivals across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Prithvi · Earth
A tree, not a timeline
A banyan does not grow from nothing. It stands on roots older than itself, and its branches carry seeds far beyond the courtyard it was planted in.
Roots · Trunk · Branches
Roots
What holds us- Bharata Muni
- The sage to whom the Natya Shastra is attributed — the origin of the grammar we still teach.
- Natya Shastra
- The treatise that set down rasa, bhava and the discipline of performance.
- Guru Parampara
- Knowledge carried teacher to student, unbroken, for generations.
Trunk
Where it stands- Kalaarnavaa
- Founded by Smt. Pooja Raj — where that inheritance is held, practised and passed on.
Branches
What it carries- Students
- Children taking their first adavu, and adults returning to an art they once set aside.
- Stages
- Temple festivals and cultural sammelanas across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
- The next teachers
- Dancers who will one day carry this to their own students.
How we teach
Four principles, held in balance
Each principle supports the next, like courses of stone in one enduring foundation.
Strong basics
Posture, rhythm and form taught the right way from day one — the ground everything else is built on.
Meaningful expression
Once the grammar is learned, we help each student find true bhava — the feeling that turns steps into storytelling.
Respect for tradition
Authentic, value-based training rooted in discipline, devotion and the Guru-parampara.
A love of learning
A supportive space where curiosity never stops and every small milestone is celebrated.
Her journey
The story behind Kalaarnavaa
Every school begins with a story. Ours begins with a dancer who was asked to stop — and a son who refused to let her dream end there.
Once, a dancer
Pooja grew up in love with classical dance — the discipline, the expression, the joy of the stage. It was simply who she was.
Then, fifteen years of silence
After marriage, her art was quietly set aside. Her in-laws did not approve of a dancing daughter-in-law, and so the ghungroos fell silent — for fifteen long years.
A son who danced
Her son took to classical dance as a young boy. In a world that questioned a boy dancing, he not only persisted — he excelled, winning competition after competition, and later performing on stages abroad.
“Amma, now it's your turn”
One day he told her he would fight for her dream the way she never got the chance to. And he helped her tie the ghungroos on once again.
Kalaarnavaa is born
From that courage, Kalaarnavaa was founded — a home where no student is ever told they are too old, too late, or too anything, to dance.
Founder & artistic director
Smt. Pooja Raj
A trained Bharatanatyam dancer and a disciple of Guru Dr. Sanjay Shantaram — a renowned artiste and mentor. With years of performance and teaching experience, Pooja guides every student at Kalaarnavaa personally, and is dedicated to spreading classical art to children of every background, including underprivileged students through seva-based programmes.
Honours & recognition
2025
International Nritya Tarangini
International Cultural Festival, Bali 2025 — conferred by Chirantana Academy.
2024
Best Dance Teacher
Chiguru Cultural & Charitable Trust.