As a medical practitioner, which is what she wanted to be, she could have eased the pain of many. As a dancer, she soothes a lot of minds, though in a different way.

A trained Kathakali, Bharatnatyam and Manipuri dancer, Sunita Banerjee by her art has soothed audiences both at home and abroad at various cultural meets.

Considering dance is something Sunita claims to have stumbled upon by chance, she has travelled far indeed. But the desire to learn, and at the same time pass on that knowledge to others, too, is far from over. She feels she still has a lot to learn from her trainer and mentor, Amala Shankar.

A teacher herself, the Uday Youth Choir was formed by her in the steel city way back in the year 1978. To initiate young students into the art of adapting everyday postures to innovative dance steps was one of her objectives.

In a world where the classic forms are fast losing out to faster, modern forms, she has steadfastly over the years held on to her objectives, though aware that neither the teachers nor the students today have the patience.

Born in Tripura, where her father was posted at a tea garden, she did her schooling and graduated from Calcutta, where the family had their ancestral home.

Today, she smiles as she speaks about the plans her father had for her, and what destiny had in store for her. On his insistence, she went on to complete her degree in Bachelor of Education.?My father thought that it was the safest option for girls, and also one that enables one to spend quality time with family. But destiny had planned something else,? she says.

Destiny is what she thinks it was that brought her to the Uday Shankar India Culture Centre, Calcutta, where she got an opportunity to be guided by masters right from her school days.

It?s an experience she has not forgotten, and cherishes to this day. ?Our teachers were so patient with us,? she remembers, adding: ?They taught us the method of developing dance steps from simple postures, something which was a sort of an eye opener for me.?

These were the methods that helped her enhance her skills, which she hopes to pass on to the next generation, though always emphasising on originality and inborn talent of the learner.

Marriage brought her to the steel city, where she has put in valuable number of years as a teacher in Tisco High School. Over the years, she has made a mark for herself in the city?s cultural domain, winning laurels for her choreographed dance dramas.

Firmly believing that every person has a contribution to make in society, she has herself made every possible effort towards revival of our rich cultural tradition.

Not very happy with the guidance the youngsters are getting today, she feels a lot more needs to done, to bring back the lost pride in ones art, which they had when they had taken their first steps.

One incident in her career she really looks back upon with pride is being invited for a performance by the principal of Scindia School in Gwalior, her son?s alma mater. ?The request was made to a parent, not to a professional dancer, and that made it all the more special,? she reminisces fondly. ?It was a dance drama we had developed on the lines of a couplet of Rabindranath, which told the tale of a neglected wild flower. The children brought out the pathos of the small flower so vividly that the piece got a standing ovation,? she adds, her eyes sparkling up at the memory.

With her on this journey, she always had her children and husband, who even collaborates with her on themes and concepts.

As dancer teacher at Sacred Heart Convent, Carmel Junior School and KPS, Kadma, she tries to initiate in her students a love for the different classical forms. ?Today I find that parents are busy trying to inculcate a love for western dance. The emphasis seems to have shifted to becoming popular overnight,? she rues.

Focus and dedication are required, she says, besides proper guidance, she adds. As she got from Amala Shankar. ?She has been my inspiration and our family shares a very special relationship with them,? she says, with gratitude.

Having staged more than 250 programmes in the city, and elsewhere, too, she has her social priorities in place as she rightfully takes pride in designing pieces carrying awareness messages against AIDS and importance of eye donations.

Fondly referred to as Floru when she was a student, because of her Florence Nightingale-like gentle nature, she has reasons to feel fulfiled with the way destiny has shaped things for her.

Even as she speaks, playing on her mind are ideas for the rehearsals for Sacred Heart Convent students, for Srijan?s third consecutive performance at Puttapuram on the eve of Holi.

And the hope that some of these students will carry on the legacy of the classical form.

Saswati Mukherjee