Dancing with a fire in the belly

Excerpts from an interview:

There is a back story to your entry into performance art

I lost my father to an ULFA terrorist  attack in 1995 at Barpeta Road in Assam when I was just five years old. He ran a tea stall and was trying to bring up us three kids – two boys and a girl. We were away at Cooch Behar when it happened to attend a family wedding. We rushed back to find his body lying there. That vision remained with me for a long time. My mother, a homemaker, managed to eke out a living running the tea stall following his death

I was sent away to Cooch Behar to study but my mind was bent on a career in the Indian Army.

Why the army?

Though I was very young when my father died, I grew up with revenge in my heart. The men who killed him were never caught. I felt that if I joined the armed forces I would be able to nab them. In the meantime, I developed an interest in every kind of physical fitness resume such as karate, acrobatics, swallowing fire and gymnastics etc. Till we came away to Cooch Behar,  I would help my mother run the tea stall between classes. But my sole aim was to avenge my father’s death. There was a fire raging within me.

How did this dramatic change happened?

Once, I happened to meet Premendu Bikash Chaki, a noted cinematographer of Bengali cinema, who had come on a shooting schedule. When I told him about the fire raging within me, he told me – ‘What’s  the use of killing three or four people? Why not try and capture the hearts of three lakh people with your performance?’ This made me think. Then, a chance audition for Takkar, a reality show in a Bengali channel, held in Cooch Behar opened the gates. I knew a very good Bihu dancer, a girl, who was rejected because she could not dance on one foot. I requested to be auditioned. I got selected and came to Kolkata where I was introduced to Debolina Dutta and Mouli Ganguly, both actresses of merit who took me to Sapphire, the academy of contemporary dance to prepare myself for Takkar.

Why did you need to train in dance? 

Perceptions about performance on a public platform have changed. Sudarshan-‘da’ (Sudarshan Chakraborty) choreographer and director of Sapphire, felt that my performance lacked the necessary grace if wanting to participate in Takkar. I underwent rigorous training at Sapphire from 2011 to 2013. It made me discover how dance invests performance with aesthetics, alignment and rhythm besides the ability to make creative use of space. Dibyendu Nath, a teacher at Sapphire, taught me aerial work and contemporary dance. I also trained with Darryl Thomas and Michel Casanovas as part of International Residence of Sapphire Creations Dance Company.

You went on to win the top prize at Takkar. What was your mother’s reaction?

When I sent the prize money to my mother, she was overwhelmed. Whatever I have achieved is also due to her because though she needed my help in running the family, she never ever held me back. She still runs the tea stall. Neither she, nor I had any idea that one day I would win at the ‘India’s Got Talent Season Six’.

Determination to win goaded you, isn’t it?

My practice was never aimed at winning. All I wished was to improve the conditions of my life, to give my mother a better life. And somewhere along the way, all my feelings of avenging my father’s killing had evaporated. I discovered that these feelings were channelised into perfecting my performance through practice and training and the negative emotions had transformed into a story of hope and determination.

What was the winning like?  

When the winner’s name was announced, I didn’t react for two minutes. Then I saw my mother crying in the audience. I told her this was not the time to cry, this was a time to enjoy the thrill of the win. The process was grueling, of course! The auditions shortlisted 80 participants that dwindled down to 30 and then we were six. I believe, this is the first time in the entire history of  India’s Got Talent  show that a solo performer has bagged the trophy and the car and Rs.50 lakh award money. Remo ‘Sir’ hugged me after my performance and that is another trophy for me.

Tell us about the Mumbai experience.

I took part in Dance India Dance programme in Mumbai without informing Sapphire  only to get ousted in the third round. That brought me back to Kolkata. But Terence Lewis, one of the judges had watched me perform and had told me to get in touch with him. When I went to Mumbai again and stayed with Mouli-‘di’ for a while in search of work, I had to keep body and soul together by cleaning toilets, wiping tables at restaurants, etc. I had to survive and I didn’t mind. I suddenly remembered that Terence ‘Sir’  had asked me to get in touch. When we met, he offered me a three-year scholarship for a Diploma in Dance which costs Rs three lakh. He included me in many of his shows and that helped me financially. My first show was with Salman Khan.

What are your plans for the future?

I want to become a choreographer in Hindi films. I want to give my mother a good life. I lead an extremely disciplined life. I am training inmalkhamb, an ancient fitness art of Maharashtra. Master Uday Deshpande is an expert in this school and I am training with him, besides continuing  with Terence ‘Sir’s academy. Right now, life is full of hope and love from all those who have helped me to arrive at where I am.