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Journalism of Courage
“Every night, I used to tell myself that I will quit ‘tomorrow’, but in the morning, I found myself in class…and that ‘tomorrow’ never came,” recalled Molina Singh, talking about her journey of becoming a trained Odissi dancer, which began in 2015, after having two children.
While she has always been an accomplished classical dancer — Kathak and Manipuri — it is only recently that Molina, who is married to actor Sushant Singh, made her debut in Odissi at New Delhi’s Kamani Auditorium (presented by Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra and Dancing Deer), a performance that ran to packed audiences.
How did she feel? “To be honest, it feels very surreal. It was just yesterday I was contemplating taking up Odissi (or not), and here I am making my debut as a solo Odissi dancer. I have to live up to the expectations of many people who believe that I can and should. I am nervous would be an understatement, but at the same time I am bursting with excitement to share my journey and love for Odissi with everyone,” she told indianexpress.com.
After briefly learning Odissi for two years under Guru Daksha Mashruwala — in order to teach her own daughter — it was under the tutelage of Odissi exponent Smt Daksha Mashruwala, a disciple of Padmabhusan Shri Kelucharan Mohapatra, that Molina took her first step towards Odissi when she decided to take it up seriously in 2015.
Now, seven years later, she is confident enough to perform four distinct Odissi sequences woven into a solo recital, three of which were original compositions and choreographies tailor-made for her debut performance, solo. “Odissi is lyrical, fluid, yet has defined movements. The chowk stance finds similarity in Bharatnatyam Aramadal, but the tribhangi or three bend stance is a unique feature known only to this dance form,” Molina explained, talking about how the narrative changes in different classical forms like Manipuri, Kathak, and Odissi even as the Navarasa or nine emotions stay the same.
However, Molina was quick to add that “Indians need to buckle up and start taking classical dances seriously”. “This classical dance form is extremely popular abroad. The number of students showing up from Japan, Spain, Italy, France, America, China to learn Odissi is an example of that,” she said, stressing that the “government should make it mandatory to take up at least one classical dance form in school”.
“Dance, in itself, is the most demanding art form of all art forms. If you want to inculcate discipline in your life, you should take up dance. Once you are disciplined, there is nothing in this world you cannot achieve,” added Molina.
According to her, practice and having patience are extremely critical for beginners. “Learn the art at least for five years before considering coming on stage. Widen your horizon and dare to envision new concepts and ideas. Dare to think out of the box and make a mark. Through your art, speak for the betterment of society at large,” said Molina, who is also a yoga teacher and naturopath.
Agrees her husband and partner Sushant, who firmly believes in her ability to “weave magic”. In a tweet just before her performance, he wrote, “My partner @molina_singh lives and breathes dance. After years of Kathak, she embarked on a new adventure and now makes her Odissi debut. So, I invite you to witness something magical.”
Prod her about her personal life, and Molina, who first met Sushant as a co-actor while learning acting under thespian Ebrahim Alkazi, shared, “Creative people are mostly crazy and eccentric. It becomes easy to understand and adjust to your partner’s whims and moods only when you are from the same background. We are fortunate to have that understanding.”
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