Born Nataraj at Madurai, Tamil Nadu, this bharatnatyam dancer took the name Narthaki at the time of her debut performance in 1983 as a woman. Braving poverty and social stigma, Narthaki followed her passion to become a dancer with the financial support of Shakti – her childhood friend. Staring her training under Namanur Jeyaraman of the Tanjavur bani, she later became a disciple of the late K P Kittappa Pillai, a descendant of the 17th century Tanjavur Quartet. She lived with her guru for 15 years imbibing the essence of Bharatanatyam from him along with Shakti. She also worked as Kittapa Pillai’s assistant in the Tanjore Tamil University.