Staying at home all day because the pandemic was frustrating at first. But soon, it became routine for me, uneventful and boring. However, the more I stayed home all day, the more exhausted I felt as I began to overthink every little thing. On one of those sleepless nights, I took up the task of clearing out some boxes under my bed. That’s how I found the ghungroos I hadn’t seen for more than a decade.
There was surprise, delight and shock. I hadn’t thought about them in ages, despite having spent 14 years training in kathak. I held them close, feeling each brass bell and inspected the thick cotton cord holding them all together.
Over the next few days, it was hard to shake off the memories of the thrills I had been missing for years. I found myself looking up tutorials and online classes, watching dance recitals and performance videos on Instagram and YouTube. It soon took my anxiety away.
However, as I kept glancing at the bag of ghungroos, I knew something was missing. I knew I could not just limit my experience to the virtual world.
I decided to take lessons again. I reconnected with my childhood dance teacher and asked if she could fit me into one of her classes. It didn’t pan out in 2022 but it will this year.
Meanwhile, here are some kathak recitals that inspired me to dance again.