‘Putting soul into work’, 89-yr-old Kathak dancer to trace ‘ups and downs of a woman’s life’ in her latest offering

“Similar to how the earlier forms of Kathak from villages and temples eventually made a splash on the foreign shores of US, Japan etc,” said Lakhiya, 89, while explaining the concept of the latest production.

‘Meraki’ is a Greek word which, Lakhia said, means to put your soul into your work. This, she said, is inspired from her own life of finding her calling and the void that had troubled her before she found dance.

Describing her own journey into dance, Lakhia said that she had trained to be an agriculturist. But, when she did not get a job as one, a friend nudged her to join Ram Gopal’s dance company in London. “Then, at the age of 18, dance happened. At the sheer stroke of luck. I left for London within a week and then there was no looking back,” she said.

“This is the story of every woman. Every woman goes through times when she is desolate, up to the time when she finds herself and comes to terms with her life. Every woman must have the courage to find herself,” she added. This is something, she said, that Meraki progressively includes in its narrative.

Lakhia started choreographing ‘Meraki’ four months ago, for which she has collaborated with musicians from Mumbai, Delhi and London.

Known for her work in contemporary Kathak, Lakhia said, “Art must evolve, else it will die. Change means progress and the new generation must like it and must come to terms with it.”