What are you working on these days?

Currently, I’m teaching Bharat Natyam to the students of Srijana College of Fine Arts. Sometimes, I also perform this dance form to the audience. But, I’m quite choosy on this matter. I perform only when I feel that the organisers and the expected crowd are willing to understand Bharat Natyam.

Why did you decide to learn Bharat Natyam?

I completed my bachelor’s degree from Padma Kanya College, Kathmandu, with Dance (Nepali folk and classical) and Home Science as my majors. Later, when I applied for the scholarship provided by the Indian Embassy, I had the option of choosing between Bharat Natyam and Kathak. After giving it some thought, and after talking to my friends and teachers, I chose the former. It was not like I had plans of earening a master’s degree in Bharat Natyam. It just happed—for good.

How was your experience during your learning days in India?

Tamil Nadu is considered to be the birthplace of Bharat Natyam. And even now, this dance form is a part of life there. It was a wonderful experience to live and learn Bharat Natyamin in its birthplace. Further, I feel lucky to have been mentored and taught by some of the most respected Bharat Natyam gurus like Srilatha Vinod, Athina Madhu and Lakshmi Ramaswamy.

What do you think about the scope of dance in our country?

It pains me to see dance being taken as a cheap and vulgar form of entertainment in our country. There are very few people who approve of dance as an honourable form of art.

To some extent, the artists themselves are responsible for inviting such opinions and prejudices. We don’t spend enough time to perfect dance forms and lack both the discipline and devotion required to master it. However, I hope that things will change for good in the future.

So why did not you stay in Chennai, where classical music and dance forms are held in high esteem?

As I mentioned earlier, people there adore and respect classical music and dance. Some of my friends there had been initiated into Bharat Natyam at the age of two. Almost everyone is a Bharat Natyam dancer there, and you have to be an extraordinary dancer to stand out. Honestly speaking, one of the reasons I came back was my fear that I’d get lost in the deluge of Bharat Natyam dancers there. Another reason was my desire to promote dance, and not just Bharat Natyam, as a respectable form of art in our country.

Any plans for the future?

I’m just a beginner right now—fresh from the college, trying to make a transition from a learner to an instructor. In the future, I plan to open a dance academy.

What do you love to do apart from dancing?

I love cycling around whenever I’m free. I also spend my free time watching art movies, both Nepali and Hindi, on Youtube.

Any fond memory that you’d like to share with us?

It was almost seven years ago that me and my friends and teachers went out on a two-month-long tour to different districts of Nepal performing our play Naya Adhaya. Throughout the tour, we played pranks on each other. We had a lot of fun during the tour and I’ll remember it fondly for years to come.

If not into dancing, what would you be doing?

If not a danseuse, I would have become a nurse. I was about to sit for a nursing entrance exam after completing my intermediate level,  but since it clashed with the entrance exam at Padma Kanya College, I had to choose between the two. There were limited seats to study nursing and I was not sure if I could make it into the merit list, so I went for the latter instead.

Is there anything that you’d like to change about yourself?

As people say, my anger is on the tip of my nose. I can’t tolerate inequality and it drives me mad with anger. I also easily trust people. I wish I could be more guarded and less angry.

Are you a foodie? Which food do you like most?

Oh! I am. I’m a big fan of non-vegetarian food. I love our traditional Newari dishes.