Wendy Jehlen enjoys a quiet moment with her daughter. Picture by Hardeep Singh

At 23, Wendy Jehlen is an inspiration for the younger generation. Though an American by birth, she is every bit an Indian now.

A professional dancer, she is married to composer Nandlal Nayak, son of one of the forerunners of Chhotanagpur folk music Mukund Nayak. Though her knowledge of Indian folk dance and music is wide, Wendy wishes she had the cultural lineage of her husband, whom she calls Nandu. “I envy my husband. He is extremely lucky to have been brought up in a rich cultural milieu, which most artistes pine for. My husband’s compositions have evolved and matured over the years. He has developed a distinct style, which is different from his father’s work.

Extremely proud of her husband’s achievements, Wendy says Nandlal has charted a long and successful route from being a vocalist and dancer to a musician. “He does not take up any project unless he feels strongly about it. But once he gets going he composes brilliant music,” says the lady who would rather talk about her husband’s achievements than her own.

She had a dreamy look in her eyes when asked about her first meeting with Nandlal. According to Wendy, it was destiny that brought them together. In April 1994, she happened to meet her husband’s father, Mukund Nayak, in Harvard University where he was scheduled to take classes on Indian performing arts for three months.

Wendy immediately enrolled on his classes and when Mukund formed a dance group she was selected as the main dancer. Indian dance forms were not unknown to Wendy who had been learning Bharatanatyam from the age of seven. Wendy showed tremendous interest in India and expressed a desire to visit the country. Initially, Mukund was a bit hesitant about taking Wendy to India as he was not sure how she would adjust to a different cultural set-up. He finally gave in.

In 1995, Wendy came to Ranchi for three months. During her stay in the capital she put up with Alka Nizami, a doctor at the Central Institute of Psychiatry.

Apart from Mukund, Wendy worked with Nandlal and they gradually came close to each other. “It was not love at first sight. But everything happened very fast and we realised that we liked each other. Lets keep the rest a secret…it’s too personal,” said a blushing Wendy.

In 1996, Wendy returned to Ranchi and took Nandlal to Boston to meet her parents. They informed Mukund about their decision to get married and called him over to Boston to attend the wedding. Mukund went to the US with some family members and the marriage was solemnised in a church. In 1997, the young couple returned to Ranchi and Mukund insisted on a marriage according to Hindu rites. Wendy fell in love with India the moment she got off the plane in 1995. But life after marriage was not a cakewalk for her. “I faced some problems with the weather, the water and the mosquitoes. But Nandlal’s family members are like angels. They made me feel at home from day one,” said the American lady, who mostly wears salwar kameez and never forgets to apply vermilion on her parting every morning after bath.

She can also fluently speak and read Hindi and even understands the Nagpuri dialect. Today, she has developed a contemporary dance form with the help of her musician husband.

“When I was toying with the idea of creating my own dance form, Nandu suggested that I base it on Bharatanatyam and evolve a style that the audience can relate to. He said I should replace the abhinaya (acting with facial expressions) with movements.”

Wendy’s contemporary dance form, which is a judicious mixture of bharatnatyam, an African dance, Brazilian martial art — Kopocira and the Japanese Burtho, has received world-wide appreciation. Wendy also runs a dance company in Boston called WJ Dance Company. “Nandu complements my artistic nature. We discuss each other’s work and come up with brilliant ideas. It’s not that we always agree with each other. We argue a lot before accepting an idea.”

“My husband and I have performed on stage several times. While he composes the music, I literally dance to his tunes (she giggles). We have performed in different parts of the country during our India tour in 2002, which we called The Safar. Nandu and other eminent musicians from across the world,composed the music. Artistes from 13 countries, including Japan, Italy, America and India, took part in the show.”

Wendy fondly remembers her dance show, Becoming Fire, which was staged in different US cities in 1998. The response inspired her to open a dance company in Boston. “The greatest gift that Nandu has given me is our daughter Anika.” Though barely two years, Anika seems to have inherited her parents’ dancing genes. She loves to shake a leg at her grandfather’s music school, Kunjban. “I will give Anika the freedom to choose her career. I will guide her and give her the options.”

Though not an excellent cook, Wendy dishes out delicacies for her husband from time to time. “ I feel irritated when people express surprise when I tell them that I cook at home. Just because I was born and brought up in the US that doesn’t mean I can’t cook.” Wendy, however, misses the salads prepared by her mother back home.

Leisure and Wendy do not go together. When she is not staging dance shows she teaches students. She holds workshops for the hearing impaired and has also staged shows for Deepsikha, a school for mentally-challenged children.

On how she would like to be remembered, the lady quipped: “As a performer, a teacher, an excellent wife and an equally good mother.”