A RAY OF ‘CULTURAL’ HOPE IN A CULTURE STARVED REGION
She can rightfully be called Chandigarh’s cultural icon. And also a loyal patron of performing arts and culture. For she has contributed immensely and selflessly to Chandigarh’s cultural and classical dance scene (Do read out the last part of this write up and do NOT miss your chance to witness a spectacular evening of absolutely stellar performances by her and some other incredibly talented dancers) This Woman of Wonder, Nandita Puri is a dancer par excellence, one of the most astute exponents of the Jaipur Gharana of Kathak, an actor and a teacher too.
Nandita showed signs of immense talent and interest in dance early on in life. Born to a renowned classical singer of the Patiala Gharana, Primila Puri, talent runs in Nandita’s very DNA. Her parents inspired as well as supported her and post a graduation in Psycology and Ancient Indian History, Nandita received her initial training in dance for a year at the age of 17 from Guru Shankar Dev Jha. After his untimely demise, she returned to Mumbai and began to learn from Padmashree Roshan Kumari, the stalwart of Kathak, considered by many as one of the foremost exponents of the Indian classical dance form of Kathak. Under Roshan Kumari, the learning was imparted via the traditional Guru-Shishya parampara. This means that Nandita stayed in her house like a family member, indulged in the household chores and spent most of her time doing ‘riyaaz’. For 12 long years, Nandita practised this; attending college in the morning and dance class in the evening. “The Gurukul way of life inculcates not only discipline but also humility. Your Guru’s word is the final word and you are not supposed to open your mouth in front of the Guru. That’s the kind of obedience expected of one’s disciples”, shares Nandita. Infact, she narrates a funny incident wherein once she (Nandita) was told by someone that her dance is too aggressive. She recalls how she told her Guru one day that the dance is very forceful and how it should be toned down to being more gentle and lady-like. She was told matter-of-factly by Roshan Kumari, “Woh dekh rahe ho darwaza, nikal jao. Tum mein itna dam hai ki karlo toh karlo, milawat karni hai toh chale jao.” (That’s the door and you may leave. If you have the strength to do it, then dance, and if you want to dilute it, then you’d better leave. Simple as that. Nandita had no choice but to eat a humble pie. But, looking back, Nandita has absolutely no regrets! Infact, she takes great pride in having been her Guru’s student. She shares that she likes her Guru’s style which is very robust. “There is no doubt that because I went to one of the best teachers in the country, wherever I went to perform, the expectation level was high, the whole look was different”. Roshan Kumari is famous for her particular and distinct style of dance which nobody else does today, except for her students. Nandita happens to be one of those lucky ‘few’! The Jaipur Gharana of Kathak, which is what Nandita performs, isn’t easy. It’s strenuous like martial arts. It was patronised by Rajputs who didn’t want anything soft and gentle. They wanted something technically brilliant. This is called Vir Raspradhan. However, now, the various forms take from each other whereas earlier the demarcation was more visible. Talking fondly of her Guru, she declares that Classical dance in India wouldn’t have been in its present day glory if it wasn’t for brilliant stalwarts, the likes of Roshan Kumari and several others.
Living true to her passion, Nandita started a dance school called ‘Shringar’ in Chandigarh about three years ago. Not just a dance school, the idea was to promote the rich cultural heritage of India via classical music and dance. She reminisces how when she opened her dance school, the response she got was quite overwhelming. “But, guess what, some 30 children came, and, lo and behold, all of them wanted to learn Bollywood! It took her a couple of years to change the mindset and make people understand that classical music and dance is a base for whatever of music or dance you want to learn eventually. People are oblivious to the fact that almost all actresses (who are good dancers the likes of Hema Malini, Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi, Deepika Padukone) are classical dancers. Waheeda Rahman has been a Kathak dancer and as a matter of fact, she and Roshan Kumari (Nandita’s Guru) were often seen performing on the same platform. All popular Bollywood choreographers too are Kathak maestros. “You have an edge over other choreographers if you know classical dance”, informs Nandita. Nandita has also been In Chandigarh, having spent so many years, she has 18 serious students while in Mumbai when she started her institute, in 2 months she had 75 students. Enough to talk about the stark difference in cultural enthusiasm of the two places! Though Nandita is doing her best to endorse cultural activity, her only refrain is that unfortunately, Chandigarh is not conducive for anything cultural. But that doesn’t deter this dexterous lady from doing her bit and being genuinely committed to popularize these otherwise ‘dying arts’ and give the art and culture scene a much needed boost.
Shringaar is also the name of a Cultural Organisation started by her in Mumbai back in 1991 to promote music, dance and art. Shringar has successfully organized numerous programs of some exceptional talent in the country, like Dr. Balamurlikriahna, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Ustad Halim Jafar Khan, Smt. Primila Puri and many more. Nandita lives in Chandigarh with her husband Dan Dhanoa, who shares and supports her artistic gusto in every which way. “Indian dance forms are dying as there are few genuine connoisseurs of Indian art forms left in the world. I continue to persistently present and teach these amazingly beautiful dance forms so that they are vivacious enough to directly connect with today’s youth and, to some extent, the youth of tomorrow,” says the elegant danseuse with phenomenal passion and optimism. Afterall, like Rabindranath Tagore once said, “If you want to know a nation, know its art, not its politics or anything else.” Kudos to Chandigarh’s beacon of cultural hope who is determined to change the cultural landscape – one show at a time!Here’s a chance for all you culturally inclined folks to be immersed in a delightful evening of The Chandigarh Classical Dance Festival 2021 to be held at The Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, Chandigarh from 6.00 pm onwards. Do not miss it.
Written by – Adarsh Gill Brar
