The magnetic passion
When Puspita Hossain was admitted to Chhayanaut's dance class, she was in her first year of school. “It was 1993. I was very young, and to be frank, I did not start off as the most enthusiastic student; it was more for my parents' interest,” she recalls. “But as I started learning, my interest also grew, and it was not long before that interest blossomed into my passion.”
She carried on her education at one of the leading performing arts schools in the country, learning both the forms of Bharatnatyam and Manipuri. However, after she was diagnosed with bone tuberculosis in 2004, there was a gap, and her studies also caught up. “It was sad for me,” says Puspita. “After my HSC, I joined Dhaka Medical College, and things got very hectic. Even after my day classes, we would have ward visits in the evening, and exams came thick and fast. Until my fourth year, I could not go back to my passion. But then in 2010, Warda Rihab (noted Manipuri dancer) got in touch with me; she had opened her dance school, Dhriti, and asked if I was interested in joining her classes,” says Puspita on her return to dance.
Was it difficult to have come back to it after the long hiatus? “Yes, it was very taxing. Especially with my studies and internship, it was difficult to manage time. But there's this magnetic force that drew me to the rehearsal rooms and stage; I could not overcome that, and somehow managed to continue with it,” Puspita says.
Of her special memories, Puspita keeps the 2011 performance of “Taasher Desh” at the top. “It was my first major performance after resuming dance, and to work with a British choreographer and Shadhona (it was a joint effort by the British Council and reputed dance school Shadhona) and to perform in front of a large audience was special.” Her other favourite dance memories are performing in front of the big names of Indian dance and music at Kolkata, and “Hey Ananta Punya” at an ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) in Delhi.
“Dance is something that allows me to be me; I can forget whatever else is going on in my life, and just the idea of expressing myself just through movements is something that excites me,” Puspita says. “Although I enjoy doing Bharatnatyam more -- because I think it is more bold and expressive, I have not had much opportunity to perform it, because the dancers I've worked with – Sharmila Bannerjee and Warda Rihab, both specialise in Manipuri,” says Puspita on her dance philosophy. “Although I know it's going to get tougher as I enter my field of profession, I want to continue dancing, even if just for myself, for as long as my body and mind allows me to.”
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