Dr Radhika is Assistant Professor in Dance (III) at the School of Performing and Visual Arts at IGNOU, New Delhi. A native of Palakkad District in Kerala, she completed her schooling at DAV.BHEL, Ranipet, Tamil Nadu. She is an alumnus of Kalakshetra College of Fine Arts, Chennai, a reputed institution in the field of Bharatanatyam. Subsequently, she earned her master’s degree and PhD in Dance from University of Hyderabad with a NET and JRF-SRF from the University Grants Commission, 2004. She is also a Master of English and a PGD holder in Television production and Distance education and is also a certified Yoga practitioner from Vemana Institute, Telangana.
Her doctoral work dealt with the transitional phase of Bharatanatyam in India focussing on the works of Rukmini Devi and Chandralekha. Her research in the field since then, has involved publications in diverse areas like post-colonial studies, diaspora, gender and ethnographic concerns, K-12 education, and pedagogy of blended and online learning. Apart from being a professional dancer for more than two decades, she has been involved in teaching, research and curriculum design and development in dance at K-12, higher education and for learners of ODL. She has made significant contributions to research journals with many publications and chapters in books. She is on the editorial board of prominent Dance & Music journals in the country and contributes as a reviewer in both national and international journals in the fields of Performing arts and in Distance education. She also contributes as an expert member of various committees and boards of important statutory and educational bodies in the country concerned with Dance and education. She also has been involved as a resource person at national Seminars and workshops concerned with Dance studies and Arts education. She regularly gives lectures on Gyanvani (FM105.6) and Gyandarshan Channel.
Since 2009, when she joined IGNOU as Assistant Professor, she has looked after the programmes and courses in Dance that include Ph.D. Dance, Certificate programme in Bharatanatyam (ODL programme) and two upcoming programmes – Diploma and Bachelors in Dance. She is also presently developing a skill development course and a generic elective course for the FYUP bachelor's programme.
Her latest publications include Arts education in School curriculum, 2022 ; Dance education in the K-12 curriculum: An NEP 2020 perspective with specific reference to Outcomes-based standards, 2023 ; Critical Study of DANCE AND YOGA IN CHANDRALEKHA’S PRANA, 2023 and Pedagogy of Blended learning of Dance in Design and Development of an Integrated e-Lesson Plan: A Composite Tool in the Online Teaching of Dance, 2023