Dhanbad, Oct. 25: Selected by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to go to Fiji Islands, Preeti Sinha of Dhanbad is ready to spread the country’s cultural roots there for the next two years. Preeti, a well known kathak dancer, is also proficient in playing the pakhwaj, which will prove to be an asset during her tour.
A disciple of renowned kathak guru Pandit Birju Maharaj, Preeti is among the five classical dancers from across the country chosen for the purpose.
Each of them have been chosen to represent the country in this field and spread and popularise classical dance abroad.
Preeti would be leaving from Delhi for the Fiji Islands, an archipelago of 300 islands, on October 27. The ICCR is funding her two-year stay and her cultural relation activities in Fiji. A resident of Matkuria, Dhanbad, and daughter of a head clerk of State Bank of India, Awdhesh Kumar, Preeti has been pursuing her passion for dance since childhood.
“My father was the driving force behind me,” she says. Though her dance tutorials had begun in Dhanbad, she was waiting for a chance for better exposure.
“I wanted her to get a better opening and tried the best places for her taleem,” her father said. Hence, soon after she completed her intermediate from Dhanbad, she went to Delhi University in 1996 for graduation.
Youngest of three daughters, Preeti was the only one in the family with a knack for dance. She did a diploma in kathak from the National Institute of Kathak, Delhi, while doing graduation.
But it was the tutelage of eminent kathak gurus Pandit Birju Maharaj and Pandit Jaikishan Maharaj at Kathak Kendra in Delhi that strengthened her footwork.
Preeti has already been honoured with Sangeet Bhushan in Kathak from Chandigarh in 1995.
She also got the Nipun Kathak title from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad, in 2002. Pandit Dalchand Sharma and Swami Ramkishore Das honed her skills in playing the pakhwaj. From Kathak Kendra she completed a postgraduate diploma in instrumental education in pakhwaj and an MPhil in kathak.
“I treasure my days at the Kathak Kendra where I got close to artistes of immense calibre and standing. Without their blessings my journey would have been impossible,” Preeti said, before leaving for Delhi on Wednesday evening. Followed by a short experience as a part time dance teacher in a couple of schools near Delhi, Preeti has taught at various workshops, too, including workshops organised by Sahitya Kala Parishad.
The central government also gave her a scholarship for two years to expand her art. But a turning point in her career was when she was appointed a dance director and choreographer for the serial Khatu Shyamji telecast on DD Metro. Preeti, who has also performed as a solo dancer in an album, Anamika, has also featured in Raas Lila, directed by famous kathak dancer Uma Sharma.
Recalling her memorable moments, Preeti said her performance with Korean dancers organised by the Korean embassy in Delhi would remain special.
Her performance at Sangeet Natak Academy and her recent visit to Rajasthan, where she was invited as a guest dancer by the chief minister, were also special.
Excited at the prospects that the visit could open for Indian dance, she hoped the state would discover and encourage more such artistes from the state.
