Manasi Pandya Raghunandan is a Bharatanatya and Odissi danseuse. Just back from Serbia, Russia, and Manasi is visibly excited. Her travels are not just about being a performer, but “about telling people about our rich culture and heritage. It is like giving them a slice of our country, tradition and culture.”
Manasi was invited to Serbia for the opening of the 23rd International festival where she spoke on the topic “Myth and Mythology in Theatre (performing arts) for the psychological development of children. “Here, I focussed on Indian mythology, after which I gave an Odissi dance recital at the central square at Belgrade and conducted a workshop of Indian classical dance especially for ballet dancers. It was all very exciting,” beams the dancer.
The youngster, who has been awarded the Gujarat Women’s day award, has represented India in countries like Spain, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and three times in Pakistan.
“I cherish my trip to Pakistan as it broke many pre-conceived notions about that country for me. I was also thrilled to share my culture and dance with them. People there too were excited and received our dance well. They knew that they would witness a slice of the Hindu culture. Even when we went sight-seeing in Pakistan, we wore large bindis and sari and walked around and were greeted warmly by the people there. So dance and culture does build a bridge of love,” observes Manasi.
Born in Gujarat, Manasi was brought up in Vadodara and started learning Bharatanatya from her parents -- Sharad and Niru Pandya, who are the founders of Purva dance school. Soon she started travelling with her parents’ dance troupe across the country. When she was 13 they were invited to Orissa for a dance fest and “that was the first time I saw Odissi and was simply mesmerised by the form. The sculpturesque and the flowy movements was something that I wanted to depict using my body,” recalls the young dancer.
Learning two dances was no easy task, she adds. “Bharatanatya is more linear and stretches your body. It was tough to unlearn a dance form to learn something that was just the opposite. But I did manage,” smiles Manasi, who has learnt Odissi from the Late Gangadhar Pradhan. She gives complete credit to him for instilling a passion in Odissi in her heart. “He was a strict disciplinarian. I not only had to learn the dance but also the Oriya language and its culture under him. Each form – Bharatanatya or Odissi -- depicts its tradition and geographical and local cultures through its moves, costume and lyrics.”
She says she loves both the forms equally. Being married to a Bharatanatya dancer Raghu Nandan S., they also perform together and the duo organise workshops and dance fests in and around the country.
She also hosts the Padmashree Guru Gangadhar Pradhan Tribute festival to pay homage to the late thespian of Odissi.
“Being a dancer and a teacher they have their own challenges. But as long as I have strength in my body and can dance, I will dance. I am also passionate about teaching and I’m willing to visit rural areas also to teach,” says the dancer who is currently pursuing her Ph D. in dance.
She believes that classical dance is not just a medium of entertainment but also education. It is all about retaining our rich heritage and passing it on to the next generation without holding back any knowledge,” says dancer, who is also the young director of Abhivyakti Dance centre.
