We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Paramita Bhattacharyya. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Paramita below.
Hi Paramita, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
We develop the ability to bounce back after facing a tough time and that is where our resilience develops from. I am not exceptional there. I have had my share of difficult times that taught me a lot as a person, as a dance artist, and as a dance educator. Resilience is not we are born with but it is something that develops with time. Although we are not naturally resilient, but fortunately we are able to learn and develop a resilient mindset. I get my resilience by facing my fears and uncertainty in challenges. I try to find positivity in those adverse situations appear in front of me. There are three main sources of developing resilience that I have acquired. Those are, making myself always open to new ideas, keeping my self-esteem high in situations that are faced, and developing inner strength with the skills that I practice as a dance artist.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am Indian Kathak dance artist and performer. I present stage performances, teach students online and in-person, and do workshops where I teach the style of Kathak dance. I like to educate people about the dance style and the importance of dance in general for human kind. I talk about how our body movements relate to a dance posture and why dance is an integral part of our daily routine. My style of dance that is Kathak dance revolves around story telling. The most special thing about Kathak dance is expressing a story through different hand gestures and body movement, that is a strong way to make a bridge between the art form and the audience. I always present a narrative, a story, and deliver a message that is socially relevant where the audience get the opportunity to find their own story in the presentation of the art form. I have recently launched dance talk series in Instagram and YouTube where I talk about various aspects of Kathak dance, body movement, and the dance art form in general.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I feel the most important three qualities or skills were perseverance, practice, and purpose in my dance journey. The folks who are new or early in the Kathak dance learning journey, should always remember that learning a new art form needs time and practice. Therefore be prepared to invest good amount of time to understand and realize the art form and practice it regularly in a right direction.
Also, the new learner needs to find a mentor who will be the guide in their dance learning journey because the mentor has walked the way already and knows the art form in detail and will be helpful to teach them the right way.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The most impactful thing that my parents did for me is that they taught me to focus on my own work and how to use everyday experiences as a learning opportunity. I always had the determination and resilience in me to learn the performing art form, Kathak dance, in detail. My parents are very flexible always and had adjusted with my Kathak learning journey. They instilled many qualities in me like to be a good listener, kind, helpful, non-judging, loving, helpful, and a good friend.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imparamita.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/paramitabm
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paramita.bhattacharyya.92
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@paramitabhkathak
Image Credits
Paramita Bhattacharyya
