Dr. Hridhya S Menon
Founder & Director
Pranavam Dance Academy
Salalah, Sultanate of Oman
A teacher and researcher by profession, an artist by passion, a mother by vocation, and a community organiser by her volition, Dr. Hridhya S Menon is a Lecturer at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Salalah and she is the Founder and Director of Pranavam Dance Academy.
Established in her hometown of Irinjalakuda in Kerala, India, in the year 1992, Pranavam was the fruit of a lifetime spent honing the art and science of the human essence through dance and performing arts. Affiliated with the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy, Pranavam has trained several gifted dancers across Kerala and the Middle East. For Dr. Menon, this is her way to carry forward the lived wisdom and wonder she has accrued in her dance journey since the tender age of 5.
An accomplished Indian classical dancer who has gotten acclaim for her contributions to Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam and Kerala Nadanam traditions, she has learned the art under several erudite teachers including Dr Mrinali Sarabhai, Dr Vasanthi Jaiswal Gopinath, Kalamandiram Jyothi Lakshmi, and of course her paramaguru, Padmashree Kalamandalam Kshemavathy. As a student and teacher of dance, Dr Menon has decorated the field with several prestigious awards including the coveted Kalathilakom title in 1993, a UNICEF certification, and a Silver Medal from the President of India, Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma for her contribution to dance.
She was privileged to represent Kerala State as an NCC Cadet at the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi in 1996. As a student of St Joseph’s College, she was the University Union Councillor and Fine Arts Secretary and while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Education at Meppayur Salafi BEd College, she was the Vice-Chairman.
Even outside her contributions to dance, Dr. Menon continues to both teach and learn. In her day job, she currently works as a Professor of English. Having received her Masters and BEd in English Language from Calicut University, her CELTA from British Council and her PhD and post-doctoral research from the prestigious Banasthali Vidyapith, Dr Menon carries her inferences from dance even into her academic life, having spent an impressive 26 years as a leading scholar of participatory language learning paradigms, exploring how interpretive performances such as dance influence language learning.
Dr Menon is the daughter of Vadakke Palazhi Sukumar Menon and Vijayam Sukumar, wife of Dr. Shaji P Sreedhar and the mother of two sons. The eldest, Hridith Sudev, is a Doctor in Public Health at Mercer University in Atlanta, USA, and the youngest one, Samved, is a student at Arizona Medical University in the United States. Apart from being a lecturer and dancer,
Dr Menon is also a well-known public speaker, workshop presenter, an anchor ,a community organiser and a dedicated social servant who has been serving in the Indian Social Club Salalah Management Committee, first as a Lady Coordinator, Entertainment and Cultural Secretary, General Secretary and Acting President and she was the first lady to hold these positions at ISC, the representative body for Indian expats in Salalah. She served the committee for 14 years as a pioneering progressive voice for her community and beyond.
Contact Information
Dr Hridhya S Menon
Villa 123, Sadha Street, Salalah, Sultanate of Oman
Phone No : 92333521
Email :
