Her large kohl-lined eyes shine with love, devotion and yearning. Through her abhinaya on Bajuchi Sahi Bajare, the 16-year-old Odissi dancer speaks to Lord Krishna and takes the mesmerised audience to another realm.
It is no surprise then that Shimran Zaman won the first prize at the Inter District Cultural Competition 2015-2016, organised by Directorate of Education (Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi), held during December 2-7. The Class XI student from Mount Carmel School will now represent Delhi at the National Youth Festival this month.
“For me, Odissi is not just a dance form but a medium of worship. It gives me immense pleasure and satisfaction to perform Odissi,” says the young artist, whose parents are from Dhenkanal in Odisha. Shimran has been learning Odissi at the Delhi branch of the Bhubaneshwar-based Suravi institute under the guidance of Guru Pitambar Biswal.
Shimran, who had her first Odissi performance at the Lord Jagannath Temple at Tyagaraj Nagar in Delhi under the guidance of late guru Pravash Kumar Mohanty, says for her there is no difference between Krishna, Jagannath and Allah.
“I believe religion is man-made. I am just a human being and I follow humanity above all religions. I believe that there is only one supreme power, i.e., God, and everyone has their own way of praying. I find myself lucky enough to worship Him in more ways than one,” she says.
Shimran, who also learnt Gotipua and Sambalpuri folk dance, has been learning Odissi since she was six. “My parents have fuelled my passion for this art form and given me freedom to choose. I love Odissi because I feel it is one of the most graceful dance forms and connects me with my soul,” says Shimran.
Apart from excelling in her chosen dance form, Shimran has been a high achiever academically as well. “I am now used to balancing studies and dance. Both affect me in a positive way,” she believes.
Echoing her daughter’s sentiments, Shaheeda Tayab, Shimran’s mother, says, “My parents had taught us that we are humans first. When we were students, during Ganesh and Saraswati pujas, my father issued a diktat that no non-vegetarian food should be cooked in our family. We used to wear new dresses. We never felt any difference exists between communities.”
A journalist-turned-lawyer, Shaheeda who is closely associated with the Jagannath Temple, says she is pained by the conflict created in the name of religion. “I am doing my bit to curb this feeling, and grooming Shimran into an Odissi dancer is a little step in this direction,” she says.
Shimran’s father, M S Zaman, who is a businessman, says they had to face a lot of objections when Shimran chose dancing. “Though many members in my family are happy, others have dissuaded me saying our religion does not permit girls to dance,” he says. “They used to say girls from a respectable Muslim family should not take up dance. But, luckily for me, my family members always stood by us and I went ahead to make Shimran’s dream come true,’’ he beams.
Shimran, who practices for two hours every day, has extensively performed at festivals in India and abroad. Some of her performances include Naatya Sandhya (ninth edition) for India World Cultural Forum; Kullu Festival, Himachal Pradesh; Nagod Mahotsav, Satna, Madhya Pradesh; and the first International Dance Congress and Naveen Kalakar Odissi Utsav-2012, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. She has also performed at the Indian Dance Festival 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Shimran’s talent has been recognised through the many awards and scholarships she received. She has been the recipient of Nritya Shiromani Samman 2015 from Indian Media Working Journalist Union in Rajasthan and Odissi Pratibha award from Samskritiki in Bhubaneswar, Odissishree for two consecutive years for Naveen Kalakar 2013 and 2014. She also received the Cultural Talent Search Scholarship in 2010 from the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training.
Passionate about moulding herself into a professional Odissi dancer, Shimran wants to inculcate values into people of her generation, and the next, through Odissi.