Indian dancer’s tribute

INDIAN dancer and choreographer Arunima Kumar, along with her dance company, performed classical Indian dance Kuchipudi at the Platinum Jubilee celebration of the Queen in London.

Kumar, a London School of Economics (LSE) graduate and the daughter of former Delhi Police chief Neeraj Kumar, said she was “honoured and proud” to present a glimpse of India through Kuchipudi at Buckingham Palace last Sunday (5).

On the final day of the four-day bank holiday weekend, hundreds of performers paraded along a three-kilometre route last Sunday, telling the story of the queen’s life with dance, music and puppets.

“I researched, choreographed and presented ‘Rajya – she is timeless’ to celebrate the extraordinary 70 years of service of the Queen to her nation and the Commonwealth with 50 Kuchipudi dancers aged 4-50 years at Westminster Abbey and participated at the pageant, with Nutkhut,” Kumar said.

“It’s now a part of history – and perhaps, my legacy. Thousands cheered us in the crowds as millions watched us on TV and it was a euphoric moment I will remember forever,” she added.

Kumar is a trained Kuchipudi dancer and a recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan award. She has more than 700 performances to her credit which include her dance at the Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s reception to mark the UK-India Year of Culture, prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit at Wembley stadium where she presented her choreography before 70,000 people and world media as well as at Rashtrapati Bhawan in India.

Aishwarya Gupta, an eight-year-old Kuchipudi dancer, said that she was told it would be a long 3.5-km walk, but “once it started and the crowds cheered us, it felt like a beautiful family. It was unforgettable.”