My Journey

Dance is an integral part of Indian culture. I was introduced to it even before I knew how to read. At the age of four, I started learning Indian classical dance. I was introduced to the different forms of dance beginning with Odissi. I also learnt the lighter forms of folk dances and Bharatnatyam, the famous dance from the South of India. My heart was finally set on learning Kathak. This was greatly due to my guru who I met at a workshop I did in my holidays. It is a known fact that in the Indian tradition of performing arts, the student is as good as the teacher. My teachers - Mr. Sandip Mallick and Mrs. Tanusree Sett - have been my inspiration.

The tinkling sound of hundreds of little ‘ghunghroos’ (ankle bells) as I tapped my feet and the feeling of liberty as I spun around with my arms spread out were enough to make me fall in love with this dance form. The synchronization of my body with the sound of the drum beats took me to another realm. Dance for me is almost like yoga, a state where my body, mind and soul are in complete sync with each other.