As quoted by Pandit Birju Maharaj, the legendary maestro of Kathak, “Dance has to unfold with the grace of a tree giving out leaves, flowers and then to a tiny fruit. Nothing can be as beautiful.” I, Gajera Dhruti, started my journey with Kathak at the age of 7. Kathak is the classical dance form that originated in north India. My mother envisioned me as a classical dancer and that’s how my journey started. In the beginning, I was not able to understand the essence of this dance form and what impact it would create in my life. But as I grew up, I realized that I enjoy this very much. One of the reasons for me to pursue this dance form is that we can tell stories without using words. Facial expressions, mudras, gestures, postures, and costumes are the highlights of this dance form. The best and the divine part of this is that one gets a chance to wear ghungroos. 

 I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Kathak in 2017. I have had the opportunity to participate in many competitions like Youth festivals, State level competitions, and Kala Mahakam, and have gone to the national-level youth festival to represent my state. I have performed in Mumbai, Pune, the famous temple of Lord Shiva–Somnath located in Gujrat, the Temple of “Lord Krishna-at Dwarka” and many more. I cannot resist dancing whenever I get an opportunity. After coming to Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, I gave my first performance in the orientation week, on the song of Lord Ganesha. I have 3 years of experience in teaching kathak. I have also organized various Kathak workshops. Apart from Kathak, I do perform other dance forms as well. Kathak is my passion and I wish to contribute in the best way possible to preserve this classical dance form, take it to the next level, and impart my learnings to the dance lovers out there.

– Gajera Dhruti, Batch 2024