Often considered as the epitome of grace and fluidity, Odissi is one of the most beautiful but difficult classical dance forms to master. Rahul Acharya knows it well. A 28-year-old science graduate, Acharya’s claim to fame is as an
Odissi dancer.
“People still think I chose dance as a career because I had no other option. But I couldn’t have been happy otherwise because I was born to dance,” he says. Hailing from an orthodox Brahmin family, he was initiated into dance when he was barely three years old.
“I used to accompany my kid sister to dance classes. The more I watched her practice, the more I fell in love with it,” he says. “I was handpicked by my guru Durga Charan Ranbir who felt I was the one who would take his legacy ahead.”
Due to his family’s insistence, Acharya completed master’s in biotechnology from the Mody Institute of Technology and Sciences, Bhubaneswar (2005).
He rejected an offer for an integrated PhD from JNU, New Delhi, to pursue dance. “I’ve never taken studies lightly. But dance is my first love,” says Acharya. “When I was doing undergraduation, I used to perform frequently. But I couldn’t travel abroad much as I had classes. But while doing Master’s, I’d travel for two months.”
By the time he joined college, Acharya was the youngest empanelled
artiste of the Indian Council for Cultural
Relations (ICCR) and was touring abroad frequently. But he couldn’t perform in his college. “The ICCR team comes to inspect the stage and other things at the performance site. A certain standard was necessary which was not possible in college,”
he says.
Though his day was packed with dance practices and tuition classes, he still found time to hang around with his friends. “Those were fun times though I could not afford to spend too much time with them.” Where would he hangout with his friends? “Anywhere. It could be a coffee shop or cake shop. As I had to be conscious of my physique, I never ate junk food or cakes. But I always
enjoyed the company of my friends who’d binge on these things regularly,” he laughs.
He was quite the Casanova in his college as he caught many a
female eye. But he was never committed to anyone. “I was pretty flirtatious with many girls but I knew my limitations. Most of them clung to me because in college I was already a
celebrity,” he adds.
Rahul feels he had an excellent support system that helped him pursue his dream. “Perseverance is necessary but one also needs a supportive family and friends to take up dance as a career,” he says.
Rahul is currently working with the renowned Malayasian dancer-choreographer, Ramli Ibrahim n
—kasturi@expressbuzz.com
He did it The French way
“I used to carry Anne French to college. Since I was always a backbencher, my friends and I used to scoop out some Anne French and put it on the head of the friends who used to sit in front of us. They never knew what was happening even when we wiped it away after a few minutes revealing a bald patch. I remember putting frog skin (during dissection classes) in a sandwich meant for one of my friends. When she bit into it, the skin would not break. She later realised I was the culprit and was furious. She never spoke
to me again.”
Other honours
* Recipient of Junior Scholarship (1996) and Senior Scholarship (from February 1, 2003) from the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Govt of India.
* Has collaborated with Sutra Dance Theatre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
* Member of the World Movement for Indian Fine Arts, Italy.
* Has worked as guest artist of Trinayan Collective, New York, USA.
* Trained in Hatha and Raja Yoga at the Satyananda Yoga Vidyalaya, Bihar School of Yoga.