Smt. Rajee Narayan was born the 11th child of illustrious parents, Sri S. Narayana Iyer and Smt. Gangammal, on 19th August, 1931, in Chennai. Born and brought up in an environment of the fine arts, she started dancing and singing at a very young age. While her father was still with the HMV company and she was four and a half years old, she had recorded the composition, 'Neraminchakura' (Shankarabharanam raga - Ikana tala). She also released some records on story-telling songs for children and some plays. At that early age, she had started acting and singing her own songs in the movies that her father produced.

Smt. Rajee started to learn Bharatanatyam at age 5, from her elder sister, Guru Smt. Neela Balasubramaniam, founder-director, Nataraja Natya Niketan and Smt. K. Lalitha, founder-director, Sri Saraswathi Gana Nilayam. She participated in the dance-dramas and Kollata Jothrai festivals, conducted by the then famous Dharma Chandrika Smt. Kadappai Lakshmiammal, through her sabha, Indumadar Lakshmi Vilasa Sabha, run specially for ladies.

From age 7, Smt. Rajee learnt Carnatic music from her sister, Smt. Sulochana Mahadevan. Her Bharatanatyam arangetram (first performance on stage) was at the age of 9 and in vocal Carnatic music at the age of 14. She was educated at the Church Park Presentation Convent, Chennai. She had then started giving public performances and most importantly, during World War II, she performed for various fund-raising programmes, promoted by the well-known social worker, late Smt. Clubwala Jadhav.

[ Seen in picture are Guru Rajee with Smt. Clubwala Jadhav ]

These programmes were organised by various organisations like The Indian Red Cross Society, Indian Hospitality Committee, Gold and Silver Trinket Fund, Rajputana Rifles, Bengal Famine Relief Fund and many more. Smt. Rajee performed for the wounded soldiers at the military hospital at St. Thomas Mount and the war soldiers' camps. Other than Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam, she learnt Kathak, Manipuri and Western classical dances. She learnt to play the piano. She learnt the basics of Hindustani music, bhajans, abhangs and also gave performances in light music.

From age 12, Smt. Rajee started to assist her sister in teaching Bharatanatyam to her students and also sang alongside for their performances. When she was 15 years old, she started to learn Carnatic music from Sangeeta Vidwan Sri Thuraiyoor M. Rajagopala Sarma. She also learnt music from the famous music director, late Sri C. R. Subbaraman, who was a close family friend. She acted in many plays staged by the Mahatma Gandhi Seva Sangh, run by Smt. Vy Mu Kodainayakiammal.

Married in 1950, Smt. Rajee started living in Madurai with her husband. The next year, her only son, Shyam Sundar was born. With the support of her husband and in-laws, she started teaching dance and music as a hobby, since she was essentially a Carnatic vocalist, with many performances to her credit. From 1952, she became a popular voice over the AIR Radio, Trichi station. Apart from Madurai, she also gave concerts at various cities, viz., Delhi, Baroda, Bhopal. Appreciating her abilities and her thirst for learning, great music exponents of the time, like Sri V. V. Sadagopan and Sri Vaikuntam Paramasivam Pillai came forward voluntarily, to teach her rare compositions.

In 1959, Smt Rajee unfortunately lost her husband, who was ailing from cancer. She had returned to Chennai for her husband's treatment and stayed back there, continuing her service to the world of fine arts at her husband's insistence, even whilst treating him. During this time, she acquired a diploma in the higher grade Government Technical Music Examination. She learnt a few special compositions from the late Dr. Smt. M. L. Vasanthakumari. After her husband's demise, she started teaching folk dances as an extra-curricular activity in Ethiraj College, Chennai, as advised by her guru, Smt. K. Lalitha. She worked as the physical training instructress at the Presentation Convent.

In 1965, Smt Rajee settled in Mumbai with her mother-in-law and son. She established her institution for Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music, Nritya Geethanjali. Her son, Sri Shyam Sundar completed his degree and started his business in electronics. He learnt dance, music and talasastra from his mother and to play the tabla, from the late Padmasri Pt. Taranath. He is an extremely popular and skilled nattuvanar, who performs nattuvangam for all the Bharatanatyam performances of his mother's students and also for dancers of other institutions. Although he is a heart patient since childhood, he is an extremely active, talented and motivated artiste like his illustrious mother. He is also the stage consultant for the well-known Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha, Mumbai. A multi-faceted personality, he has performed the role of the mahamantri, Radhagupta in 'Ashoka', a film by Sri Santosh Sivan. He is a popular face in many advertisements and will be featured in a forthcoming mega-serial on the Star Plus channel. It is evident that Smt. Rajee's mental strength and creativity has helped her and her son sail through all hardships in life, with an increased devotion to the fine arts.