Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
DAZZLING dancer Rahul Gupta hopes his story will inspire young people to follow their dreams in the face of peer pressure or conservative family attitudes, which may steer them towards settling for less.
The leading Indian classical dance exponent and instructor believes only a dogged determination prevented him from accepting a career behind a desk.
He took a keen interest in the Bharatanatyam dance form from the age of six, but had to secretly attend sessions and competitions to hide his passion from his father, aunts and uncles who implored him to study and start a business or move into management.
“I owe everything to my mother, Saroj,” explained the 27-year-old Budaiya resident, “because she motivated me and was my only supporter when no-one else offered encouragement.
“I was the only one in my family with an interest in dance, so my father used to scold me and my mother and ask her ‘why are you sending Rahul there?’ but she never backed down.”
The negative influences didn’t stop there, as Rahul’s classmates and neighbours laughed and poked fun at him for enjoying a dance form that is traditionally female-centric. Performances require dancers to wear anklets, earrings and other jewellery while sporting heavy make-up such as eyeliner and lipstick.
Rahul explained: “People just wouldn’t accept it. They’d laugh at me and constantly question why a boy would want to take part in this and do ‘girly’ things. It eventually got so bad that my mother had to lie to my dad and grandfather that she was taking me to a birthday party or out for food, but instead she’d take me to dance classes and then wipe my make-up off on the way home so nobody would know.
“It was hell for me. I used to come home from school every night and cry because I couldn’t do what I wanted and I was being persecuted for simply enjoying something I was good at. There was no attempt at understanding my feelings; they just wanted me to study and follow their path rather than my own.
“I wavered numerous times and came close to giving up, but between my mother and my dance teacher’s support, I was persuaded to continue to pursue my dreams.”
Rahul stuck with it and by the age of 15 his talent was so obvious that the principal of his school in his hometown of Chandigarh ordered him to choreograph a piece for senior students and elders as part of the school’s major annual function.
It received widespread praise from the school management who labelled it as the best piece they could remember, and Rahul was sent on a cultural exchange programme to the far reaches of the globe to teach, lead workshops and perform Bharatanatyam in places such as Sydney, Hong Kong, the US and the Middle East.
Such exposure led to newspaper, magazine and television interviews in his home country, and this was the moment when Rahul noticed a change in those that used to chastise or tease him.
He explained: “Once my face and story started appearing in the media, my family members would call my mother and say: ‘You were right all along, we’re happy now and so proud of him.’
“Those who bullied me at school turned their disdain into deep respect once they saw my skills and passion, and now I’m even friends with some of them. It’s a remarkable turnaround.”
Rahul now works as the head of the department of cultural dance and music at the New Horizon School in Jannusan, a position he obtained after impressing in the region.
After performing a show in Doha, Rahul was featured in a Qatari newspaper that was distributed to passengers during a local flight. One such traveller was the chairman of a school in Doha who was looking for a dance instructor, who immediately contacted Rahul via email to offer him a position.
From there, Rahul settled in the Gulf with his wife Seema, who is also a dance teacher who excels in contemporary, hip-hop, salsa and Zumba, before moving to Bahrain a month ago.
The couple’s son, Bharat, five, also shows a strong interest in his namesake and wakes up at 5am with his parents to practice his dancing skills before school.
Rahul said: “He’s got great balance and rhythm. I’m glad he decided to follow in his parents’ footsteps. We are so passionate about what we do that we named him after our dance form, so he has to live up to the name!
“It’s very difficult as it’s not just about footwork and handwork, but also facial expressions and body language. Everything is involved and it takes a lot of discipline, but it’s so rewarding.”
Rahul says that if he had one message for youngsters in similar situations, it would be that even in the most difficult times, you must persevere, believe in yourself and understand that you were meant to do this.
“Eventually the respect will come,” he explained. “But, even more importantly, you must also respect yourself and the dance ... you must practice, practice and practice again.
“Luckily, it’s not so bad now as attitudes have changed in recent years. It’s still predominantly a female dance form, but the days where I was literally the only boy in the school doing it are over. Thanks to media and TV exposure, there are more chances for boys and they appear less afraid of what others think because they can point to famous male dancers.
“I get boys from different age groups and nationalities from around the world coming up to me in school and pleading with me to teach them, and not only that, their parents want us to go to their compounds for evening classes too! It’s a refreshing change.”
If any of our fleet-footed GulfWeekly readers are interested in dance lessons from Rahul and Seema, email rahulgupta609@rediffmail.com for more information.
