“I remember this one time my mom pushed me to the centre of a crowd at a Dandiya event. I was so nervous because everybody was looking at me. I cried all night. That’s around the time when my family also understood that as much as I enjoyed dancing, I had stage fright. I felt extremely inferior in front of a crowd and that would leave me blank on stage. My mother started to do some research and adopted a very friendly approach to help me overcome this. She didn’t force me to do things publicly. Instead, she made me paint at home or dance at home in front of her. She gave me compliments and I also made posters with encouraging quotes for my room. Gradually, all this helped me develop some confidence and perform. I formed a dance group in school and had some memorable performances. Since then, I’ve believed that small changes is what makes a difference in the big picture. It’s all of this and more that I put together for my short story that received awards at the national level.
A few years ago, I quit my well-paying corporate job and took up my passion as a career option. I did my masters in Kuchipudi and today, I have my own dance academy with as many as 300 students. They’re not just students to me but I treat them like my younger sisters or my children. I tell them how it’s important to stop people from dictating terms because it’s your life. I teach them how every small thing matters, even in conversations. I ask them to not encourage sexist jokes and stand up for what they want to do. It’s conversations like these that make me feel proud of myself. I educate people through my dance form as well. Our productions are themed with messages because I believe that it’s better to convey a message through dance and entertainment. I can bring a change in the world maybe not by fighting a war but by simply educating kids on right things.”
#KuchipudiDance #Dancer #Passion #Education #Art #Talent #Painting #Dream #Dance #Life #Student #Empower #WomenEmpowerment #Determination #Hardwork #Equality #Lifegoals #Hyderabad #HumansofHyderabad