TOGETHER: Rahul Gupta and his wife Seema Gupta have been performing and teaching dance for many years.
By Umer Nangiana
Language differentiates human beings from animals, as culture from the primitive man. Dance and culture represent the finesse of a civilisation and are transmitted through generations and preserved by practice, believes classical dance guru and star performer Rahul Gupta, an Indian expatriate.
Running his own dance institute, Nritya Kalalayam, apart from giving solo and group performances, Gupta conducts dance workshops at different organisations and imparts training in Bharatanatyam and Khatak dance at leading educational institutions such as Birla Public School Doha.
“Dance gives mental relaxation and rejuvenates us in the hectic schedules. It mitigates misery and alleviates our agony. Apart from imitating nature, it highlights the subtle nuances of human existence. It silently transforms us by creating ripples in our sub-conscious,” says Gupta, who along with his wife Seema Gupta, also a classical dancer, has been spreading the love of classical Indian dance here for past few years.
Set to leave Doha in a few days for good, the couple wants people in Doha to know that they are grateful for the love and respect they received here. Hoping they might return some day, the classical dance gurus encourage people to continue practicing the skills they have learnt to reap the physical and spiritual benefits of their dance form.
“An ordinary life gets an extraordinary silver lining by virtue of dance and culture. Dance for me is a ‘Tapasya.’ I know the price of success is dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen,” Gupta tells Community.
He says if one believes in self, nothing is impossible. Besides teaching Bharatanatyam and different types of Western and Indian dances for the last 13 years and conducting workshops for dance for children, adults and handicapped, Gupta has also imparted training in Bharatanatyam at Sangeet Bharati, New Delhi for four years.
Performing at prominent events in front of huge audiences, Rahul has given more than 100 performances and has won accolades for his dancing skills. Some of them include performance at Taj Mahal, Agra, India on “Taj Fest” where he got 2nd prize, performance in “Salaam-e-Nusrat Night” at Delhi, India where he won the 1st prize from Chief Minister Sheela Dixit.
Rahul has also performed at Red Fort on Indian Independence Day, besides showcasing his dancing capabilities on various television shows.
He has performed with Bollywood’s Dream Girl and great classical dancer Hema Malini at Vrindavan besides multiple performances at world famous ‘Rose Festival’ at Chandigarh.
During the past few years, Rahul has worked with leading institutions in Doha and back in India including Birla Public School, Doha Qatar, Carmel Convent High School, Sector – 9, Chandigarh, Gurukul Global School, IT Park, Chandigarh, Bhavan Vidyalaya High School, Panchkula, The Gurukul School, Sector 20, Panchkula, St Xaviers High School, Sector 20, Panchkula, Hansraj Public School, Sector 6, Panchkula besides others.
He has also worked for special children through workshops and has conducted summer camps for children. Such activities include personality development, extracurricular activities, developing of self-confidence, time management, social ethics, dancing (both classical and western), drawing, painting, music and games.
Rahul has also worked with famous Choreographer Saroj Khan at Mumbai and Delhi and got the nickname of “Chotta Ustad” in the dance industry. He has been a judge for dance competitions at Fanta Fiesta Folk and Classical Dance, Times of India X-tra Vaganza Dance Show and HT Pace Mudra Folk Dances.
He has also trained classical dancers from different countries living in Doha. He has given performances on Indian television channels. Gupta represented Birla Public School in Qatar in a dance in Sydney, Australia in 2015.
A gold-medallist in dance at the national level from 16 states, “Balashree Award” in 2009, Nritya Bharati Award in 2010, Gupta has received awards from Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for his contributions to classical dance.
Gupta’s wife Seema is also an experienced dance instructor and has taught dance at Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan Sector 15 Panchkula, Saint Anne’s Convent School Sector 32 Chandigarh, Saupin’s School Sector 32 Chandigarh and Mohali
Branch, besides giving classes to the children in various other schools.