Kathak calling

Internationally-acclaimed Kathak danseuse Namrata Rai is scheduled to do a workshop at Centrodi di Formazione Musicale, Barasso in Italy in June...

Anjali Nauriyal

She is an upcoming dancer who slogged her way since childhood to learn a dance form that she was besotted by. Even while pursuing her normal studies she began learning Kathak simultaneously. Born in Dehradun Namrata Rai took to Kathak with a vengeance in her formative years and is today a name to watch out for in the years to come.

Daughter of Dr S.K. Rai, a Professor of English at DAV PG College, Namrata says that her parents encouraged her all the way through and are today extremely proud of her achievements. This petite danseuse in her twenties has been hailed as an incredibly expressive and innovative dancer of the new generation.

This young dancer, who also teaches dance at Welham Girls' School, recalls how she would love cycling down E.C Road, all the way to Bhatkhande Muisc College to learn dance in the afternoons. Those memories when she began learning under the tutelage of Late Dr Madhukar Anand are still fresh in her mind, "I learnt under him in the age old Vedic system of receiving knowledge under the guru-shishya parampara. I later completed my bachelor's degree from Bhatkhande, Lucknow, and Masters Degree from Khairagarh University, MP, in this dance form of the Lucknow Gharana that I find most elegant."

Namrata who has recently been empanelled with ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations), Ministry of External Affairs as a teacher as well as an artiste, and has numerous awards and honours to her credit. She has won most of the dance competitions that she has participated in. She is elated about the National Scholarship that she received from the HRD Ministry to learn advanced Kathak under the renowned Guru Geetanjali Lal.

One of the high points of her life has been the award of a SPIC-MACAY scholarship under which she has the honour of learning under the renowned dance maestro Pt Birju Maharaj. "That was an awesome experience indeed" she chirps. "For two months I stayed in his house in close proximity with this living legend. It is an experience I can never forget in my life. I got an opportunity to perform for the third Kalashram Festival that showcased the outcome the workshops we had with Birju Maharaj, assisted by Saswati Sen. I have now been invited to be part of Kalashram." Namrata who is also learning from Udai Majumdar, says that after she completed her MA she got through her MBA. But she soon opted for a career in dance, as that was the calling that her heart craved for. "I was just enraptured by the stories that could be told through dance," she states with conviction. "And I knew then I was made by God just for dance."

Life, she says, is a continuous process of learning. For this reason she never loses any opportunity to add to her knowledge. After completing her masters in Kathak from Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya a couple of years ago she began preparing for her workshops abroad. In June she is scheduled to do a workshop at Centrodi di Formazione Musicale, Barasso in Italy.