Because opportunities don’t come to us when we want them!

"Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation."

This has been my favorite quote since my school days and had been my desktop’s wallpaper for a very long time yet I always say, “I am not ready”, “I need more time”. I end up doing performances that I think I could have done better. But it is only recently, after almost a decade, I have realized that life doesn’t work that way. Opportunities come to us all of a sudden when we are involved with something else, when we don’t want them or when we least expect them to come our way. It is up to us whether we want to say YES or NO.

Past few months have been very busy, chaotic yet productive. Why I say chaotic is because, when we are in the middle of something and when we get a new opportunity, it’s a conflict in the mind. And we think that we are not doing well enough. But in reality, it turns out good and when we look back, it feels so good. Of course, there is always a scope for betterment. Looking back..

I have performed for the US Ambassador in New Delhi in Roosevelt house celebrating 230 years of US state department. It was a privilege that Roosevelt house hosted just my performance as part of celebrations which was attended by selected few elite and educated of the city. Along with presenting two traditional dance items (Keertana and Tarangam), I chose to present a peppy Javali with English and Telugu lyrics "Oh my lovely lalana! Yelane Pommanti" written in the 18th century. I chose Javali as it was an example of how cultures blend and create a beautiful cross-cultural product. I ended the concert with the famous "Maithreem bhajata" written by Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati. This keertana was sung by M S Amma in the United Nations in 1966. Along with giving a message to the world - “Let peace prevail”, it also reminds of the historical day of M S Amma’s performance which received a standing ovation in the United Nations. The performance was very well received which I thought was tough to do in a short time.   

Immediately after coming back, I was given another opportunity by the Department of Physics, University of Hyderabad. I was asked to perform something on women empowerment in their national conference suiting the conference theme, “women empowerment”. As a classical dancer, it would have been easy for me to do something in the lines of Shakti/Amma killing demons like Mahishasura epitomizing the power of a woman. But honestly, I was bored with it. Instead, I chose to tell the stories of contemporary women. I chose to tell the stories of the imperfect, the stories of the women who were broken yet beautifully survived and thrived. I chose Marie Curie, Mary Kom, Malala, and J K Rowling. I was so scared as there was hardly any time as I had just returned from New Delhi’s performance. I didn’t even invite anyone as I was not sure how it was going to be. A 45-minute long new group production, which did not have any literature base was no joke. As Sastry sir, the music faculty in our department agreed to give music, I decided to go ahead with the production. I was conceptualizing and choreographing everything in my mind since the music wasn’t ready, all I could do was to wait and explain my ideas to other dancers. Sastry sir gave us the music scene by scene and we choreographed as soon as we got each segment’s music. In this manner, we got complete music just before the day of the performance. I thank all my smart juniors who not only instantaneously picked whatever I choreographed but also gave me some ideas. I also thank for their hard work and late-night rehearsals despite their busy exam schedule. I am also so so thankful for my friends who ran around to arrange props for my performance. The program went on well and people were surprised and mesmerized to see the stories of women with whom they could relate to. Impressing academicians and scientists who had no clue about classical dance truly made my day.

After this performance, while I thought I would just work and finish my thesis, I got another unexpected performance which I couldn’t deny. In fact, I said I can’t do and my sentiment made me say a ‘yes’ again. It was for Nada Neerajanam, Tirupati. Again, I had no time, no resources and no clue of how to do. I have decided, whatever it is, I will perform with my students and my friend. Five of my high school-going students are young and my journey as a teacher to them began just a year ago. But all of them really worked hard and give their best. I am so proud that despite not having a stage rehearsal, their positions on stage were on point and they didn’t do even a single mistake. My best dancing buddy came all the way from Bombay and practiced with me all day till midnight 2AM. In my mind, my performance, and choice of items were not good. But that’s what I could do with the resources I have but many people liked it. This scenario is not a one-day thing or a one-time thing. It repeats. Always. As a dancer, sometimes we can’t afford to say no. We can’t afford to do a bad performance either. It is just that we have to be prepared all the time in terms of stamina and spontaneous in terms of ideas and crisis management. Thankfully, I was keeping my stamina in place and trying to think about how I can make a difference to people with my performance. My constant struggle has been .. I want to do better. I can do better if I am given more time. But time and tide wait for none. So does ‘opportunity’. Hence, I should improve my skill to work better and better under pressure, under unexpected conditions, anytime, anywhere and one day, I should reach the standards I set to myself.