When Jagyaseni Chatterjee chose dance over everything else in life, people were quick to try and demoralize her."You are a fool!" they said; "It won't work." Fast forward to today -- she has been a consistent performer atevery Maragazhi season since 2016. Despite the challenges along the way, her growth as a performer has been steady.
Jagyaseni is a woman whodons many hats. But in dance, she says, "I have met my full-time job."
Her first Margazhi performance was at the Sri Krishna Gana Sabha. In 2017, she crowd-funded a Bharatanatyam recital, the first such show in Tamil Nadu. In 2018, she received the NatyaRatnaaward from Trinity Arts.
Jagyaseni is pursuing her Ph.D in Nayika Bhavas in Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali. As a researcher, she has presented papers atvarious seminars. She is a full-time faculty at Sri Mudhraalaya, a 25-year-old dance school run by her guru, Dr. Lakshmi Ramaswamy, and is also closely associated with TIDE - The Indian Dance Experience - a newly-launched YouTube channel that promotes and supports dancers. She has also started online dance classes for overseas students.
Dr. Lakshmi Ramaswamy has been her pillar of support. "My purpose in life is to carry forward the legacy of my teacher; she saw my dedication and passion and is like a mother to me", says Jagyaseni.
Describing herself as a 'Bold Bengali',Jagyaseni says the love for art was instilled in her from childhood. "Everything around me was related to art."She fondly remembers her mother, notable Bengali actress Soma Dey, telling her "I want you to become an artiste."
She came to Chennai to pursue her Masters in Bharatanatyam atthe Madras University. "I knew Chennai was the cultural hub", she explains. This December, she completes a decadein the city.
Jagyaseni will be performing tomorrow at the prestigious NaradaGana Sabha. She describes the show as her 'breakthrough' in dance.
About the future, she says she is looking forward to launching her own solo thematic production under her guru'sguidance. "I don't know how to fund it, butI know I will do it!", she says with confidence. Keep dancing, Jagyaseni!
