The Beginning . . .

The beginning of anything beautiful, anything creative, has to spring from an established, well-developed root. I can most candidly put forth that my passion for the arts was a filial heritage that I carried forward. Hailing from a classically inclined artistic family- the ardour for Indian classical music came very naturally to me. My father being a well renowned Sitarist had a lot of friends from the artistic field. Our home would resound with the notes of the melodious Sitar or the mellifluous vocals of Pt.Amarnathji – a renowned vocalist of our times – or for that matter the lofty beats of the Tabla by Pt. Chturlalji.  

Growing up with such enchanting vibes – the initial ingredients for an artiste was laid within me. I was very young and at that time and had no clue as to how famous and renowned these people were. To me they were my uncles – my father’s friends. Slowly with time, came maturity. I actually started understanding the importance of the people who came by and conclusively, the true meaning of the work that they indulged in. 

My first love was the Sitar. I’d be mesmerised watching my father practicing or teaching his students. The only desire that I had then was to hold daddy’s Sitar some day and play a tune, which would make him proud. I very vividly remember how I, with my brothers and sisters, would wait for daddy’s programme in the evening. His recital on the radio was a regular feature. In those days, that was the kind of entertainment we were exposed to. Surely times have moved forward today.    

I did express my desire to learn the Sitar to my father once. But unfortunately daddy had a very hectic schedule and a huge family to look after. His routine activity charting from the radio station to the innumerable tuitions he had to juggle with all through out the day left him drained out and unwilling to entertain my whim. My mother saw the remorse in me with the constant denials coming from my father’s side.  She decided to redirect my energy to dance. Thus from the early age of seven I started learning Kathak. This period of my life sailed through like it does with most kids this age. Class would take place twice a week.  

I cannot retrospect much about those years. In fact I don’t even remember the name of my Guru.   

At the age of nine I was initiated into Kathak Kendra. From then onwards, I have a vivid memory of my years of learning. My mother holds a very important position in my life. I was too young to travel on my own. We lived in South Delhi. Kathak Kendra was situated near Mandi House, Connaught Place. It used to take us one whole hour’s journey, to and from there, every evening, for a period of two years. I don’t know how she managed to make this time and segregate it exclusively for me. She was the homemaker and the entire households work depended on her, of course, my elder sisters were always there – but still – to put this into perspective and for her to make it possible was highly commendable.  

I joined Kathak Kendra and under the able guidance of Smt. Reba Vidyarthi – completed my Junior Diploma. After this I graduated on to Pt. Birju Maharaaji’s class for my Senior Diploma. All through these years my main focus was to consciously balance school and the dance classes. I would rush back home, quickly finish all my homework and head for Kathak Kendra in the evening. Life practically revolved around this arena. I was a diligent learner and I am proud to say that my mother was pleased to see her efforts not being put to waste. 

However during my tenure in Maharajji’s class I felt a sense of apathy. I could sense a lot of energy within me going haywire. I am not sure why this feeling of enmeshed energy and ennui crept in, the explanation I can seek stem from two reasons. Either I was not very competent enough to follow the lead my guru was trying to give me or I actually was hankering for a more concrete, soulful learning which I could not extricate. This was the time I had begun to perform and actively participate in the activities of Kathak Kendra. The sense of acute claustrophobia being in that environment led me on to take a drastic step. I decided to leave Kathak Kendra. 

This was no doubt the biggest decision I had taken. It also proved to be the turning point in my life. As I have mentioned earlier, music was my first love. I had never dreamed of becoming a dancer. But those 15-16 days of life without dance made me realise that I was born only to dance. Dance is my present, my future my destination for life.

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