KOCHI: Ask Sharmila Sharma what Kathak means to her, she is overwhelmed with emotions and has almost no words to describe her connection to the dance form. “Kathak to me is as essential as the air I breathe. It is my heart, soul everything. Kathak to me is a channel to God,” she says.
Sharmila Sharma the Kathak dance exponent from Paris was in the city recently to put up a performance for the city audience in a programme organised by Bharat Bhavan.
A first-timer to the state Sharmila Sharma is all excited about her visit to God’s Own Country.
Coming from a family of artists it was only a matter of time before she too developed a taste for Kathak. and began.
“I cannot remember when I first started learning Kathak but by the age of three, I was up on stage for my first performance and also won the first prize in the competition. And by the age of 14, I was a professional,” she quips.
Growing up watching her mother perform there was only one thing that the young Sharmila wanted when she grew up, to be like her mother - a professional dancer. So after high school Sharmila joined the Kathak Kendra in New Delhi. There, under the tutelage of Pandit Rajendra Kumar Gangani she trained in the Jaipur style of Kathak.
Sharmila who is settled in Paris says, it was she who popularized Kathak in France. Before her it was only Bharatanatyam and Kathakali that were known to the people there.
Asked how difficult it was for her to relocate to another country she says, “Wherever I can dance and teach I can cope with the place. My only pre-requisite was I should be able to dance. And my family, consisting of my husband and daughter, has been hugely supportive till this moment. In fact my daughter too has a liking for Kathak and has learned it.”
Sharmila who began with just two students a year when she moved to Paris has now over 75 to 80 students just in Paris who has been with her for the past twenty years.
“The youngest student of my class is 6-years-old. She started when she was just two and the oldest student is 65-years-old. Also I have students belonging to all nationalities,” she says.
“People of Indian-origin who have been there for 2-3 generations send their children to me. For them learning Kathak or any other Indian art form is like a brush with their culture and going back to the roots. So I am not just a Kathak dancer when I am there, I am also a representative of our country representing our country’s culture.”
Sharmila who felt there was something missing in the Jaipur style under the guidance of Pandit Birju Maharaj learned the Lucknow version of Kathak as well. And about the essential difference between the two forms she says,
“Jaipuri version is more technical whereas Lucknow version has more emotions flowing with it,” says Sharmila demonstrating both the moves.
Is it difficult teaching foreign students?
“Pt Birju Maharaji has made the teaching process very easy and I just follow his path. With foreign students I have to explain each and every minute detail that there is which of course I enjoy doing. And during a performance I always make it a point to explain to the audience what is going on in text,” says Sharmila who also teaches in India.
Sharmila who practices Lucknowi version exclusively travels to India every year with 10 or 12 students and give them an exposure to the art from other gurus. She also works with differently-abled children and tries to bring a positive change in them.
“Just like music therapy Kathak helps these kids a lot. It even helps tackle depression which most Europeans go through,” she adds.
About future plans Sharmila says she wishes to perform more and more in India.