The Princess Diary

As a five-year-old,Mohena Kumari Singh,daughter of Maharaja Pushpraj Singh,erstwhile king of Rewa,Madhya Pradesh,would intently listen to her grandmother talk about dance,even as she was introduced to the basic mudras. These childhood conversations got the young princess interested in dance and now the 23-year-old is one of the 18 finalists on Zee TV’s Dance India Dance 3. “Every time the music played,I’d start dancing,” says Mohena. This is perhaps the first time a young girl from a conservative royal background is trying hard to become a commoner.

Based in Mumbai since the age of 12,Mohena has learnt kathak,jazz,contemporary and Bollywood dance. “My father was okay with dance as a hobby for me. But as a career option,he thought that this was not the apt choice for a princess,” she says.

Back in her hometown,Rewa,the princess has to follow a traditional paushak (dress code),which requires her to wear sarees or lehengas and jewellery. “In the show,if I have a hip hop act or a belly dancing act,I will dress according to the dance style. I don’t know how people in Rewa will react. I am torn — I am a princess and a professional dancer. For now,my brother tells me that a lot of Rajput boys will not be happy with my acts. But I have one life and I want to live it to the fullest,” adds Mohena.