Narthaki was born in "Muthamizh Madurai". Her interest towards art and literature was influenced by taking birth in the temple city, which she describes as a place richly blessed with "Iyal Isai Naadagam (Literature, music, and theatre/drama)". 

However, the transgender dancer, who the world is proud of today, didn’t receive much support from society in her early days. Recollecting those days, she says, "My childhood was very troublesome and tragic. As a child, when someone would give me a mirror, I could only see the Narthaki the society wanted to show me. I couldn't see my own face there. That was my condition. Society destroyed my childhood. But when I was attracted towards dance, I felt the femininity in me. This filled me with a unique and indescribable feeling".

It was her passion for dance and determination to succeed that made her travel to Thanjavur, take shelter of a Guru, and spend 15 years there under his guidance before moving to Chennai in 2001.

As she grew with the blessings and teachings of Guru Kittappa Pillai, she brought nuances in her performances. She enhanced herself with knowledge about dance, music, and literature, Her name, 'Narthaki Nataraj', was also given by her Guru.

She would initially dance to the pre-recorded songs. She mentioned she would only carry her grace and talent to the stage, leaving behind the many ornaments other artists wore during their performances. Due to financial struggles, the young Narthaki would think how great it would have been if she could also dance donning some shining and stunning jewelry. But when she approached her Guru on this point, she recollects the great words he told her. 

"I went to my Guru and mentioned to him with little sadness about everyone wearing diamonds and other precious gems to their performances, while I didn't have any. Responding to this, he said, 'Narthaki, do you remember how they performed? See, you didn't speak about the quality of their performance because their shining ornaments, the 'pattu' saree, and the very elements of richness caught your eyes more than their dance. The audience too might have viewed these aspects more than the art...' These words from my Guru made me realise I needed no ornaments or expensive sarees but the knowledge about dance and Guru’s guidance to perform well.”

We asked her about her signature style, to which she noted that her dance is inspired by literature and historical magnificence. "I am able to think culturally, and this defines my performance. My performances narrate scenes from the Hindu mythology and the great works of Tamil literature to the audience."

"The chemistry I carry today is touched by the sorrows and joys I have come across in my life. They have shaped me and influenced my choreography", she said. 

People once believed dance, for instance Bharatanatyam was only a woman's thing. But this misconception was stricken off by legendary dancers like Birju Maharaj, Gopi Krishna, and others. Narthaki, who is a trans woman, shared her thoughts on this and said, "Art has no barriers. It doesn't take into account one's gender. Art means to reflect and personify a character... It doesn't matter if the artist is a male, female, or a transgender. At that moment on the stage, they are only that character. An artist carries the 'Nayaki' bhava and no gender or any other features matter". 

"A peacock dances and so does a fox or a horse. The cuckoo sings beautifully. Nature is not limited, and similarly art is also not having any boundaries or restrictions", she impressively said further. 

Narthaki keeps participating in temple festivals, one of her performances took place at the Karthigai Deepam Festival at the Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai. “Our temples, our festivals, and our art is our pride”, she says while mentioning the aim of her dance is to “reflect on the pride of the holy shrines and bring out knowledge of its histories to the devotees”.

Also, Narthaki recently curated a dance seminar ‘Natya Darshan’ which was held at Chennai's Kartik Fine Arts Festival 2024. 

Noting that every artist begins with a dream, we asked Narthaki whether her dreams have been fulfilled. She said, “The day when I feel satisfied and content about my dance and achievements, I won’t be alive. Now, every minute, I look forward to keeping my dreams alive and only then do I have the right to live here. The time I would think I have achieved everything, I believe I wouldn't deserve to call myself an artist anymore. So, I have a long way to go”. 

Narthaki has won many awards for her contribution to the field of Indian classical dance. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2019.  

Narthaki is the first transgender person in India to be made part of the state government and its policy making process. 

She was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the RR Sabha's Trinity Fine Arts Festival in Chennai last November. Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival awarded her their highest title 'Nrithya Rathnakara' in 2018. 

This year, Narthaki is entitled to receive another prestigious recognition by the Indian Fine Arts Academy of San Diego. “I believe it is a big thing to be invited abroad and get felicitated there”, she notes.

While the dancer is proud about her achievements, she holds high gratitude towards her Guru and her dearest friend Shakti. 

Narthaki believes Shakti to be a God-sent gift in her life. "Shakti is like my 'manasakshi', my conscience. She won’t appreciate me easily. When we return from a show, I keep talking and describing how I performed. And, if she replies just with a 'Hmmm', it means she's hinting that I didn't do well on stage. However, instead, if she keeps speaking about my performance and I become the listener, I understand she enjoyed it and I performed well”. Narthaki adds, “So, sometimes, when she stands at the wings of a stage I get nervous, but when I see her enjoying my performance from the audience’s seat I feel very happy”.

Before concluding the talk Narthaki highlights that there is some level of discrimination and struggle in the society for the LGBTQIA++ community, but she asks them to fight them with confidence and emerge powerful without considering one's gender as a hurdle to dream big and achieve it. 

“In Mumbai, I really want to perform in front of my community people. I want to tell them that one among them is Narthaki who has risen to great heights today with her dance skills. With this, I would aim to install the confidence in them that they can also achieve something big and shine”. 

Notably, when not on stage, she turns on her foodie side. During her recent visit to Mumbai, she tells us that she relished on some Vada Pavs, Pav Bhajis, and Bhel Puri.