Sharing stories of success
2 noted dance leaders hope to encourage more business achievements by women during Indo American chamber event
Living in the U.S. in the 1970s, Rathna Kumar wanted to connect the children of Indian immigrants with their cultural heritage. So in 1975, she opened the Anjali Center for Performing Arts in Sugar Land, the first Indian dance academy in Texas.
“I wanted to contribute to the arts in Houston,” Kumar said.
On Thursday evening, she’ll be joined by Sunanda Nair, professional dancer and founder of the Sunanda Nair Performing Arts Center, as they share their personal business stories at the annual Women Mean Business Series. The speaking event is sponsored by Shell and hosted by the Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston.
According to the chamber’s executive director, Jagdip Ahluwalia, the event is meant to shine a spotlight on successful women willing to share their stories and achievements with other women, and in the process learn from each other.
Past speakers include Malisha Patel, COO of Memorial Hermann Hospital, and author Chitra Divakaruni.
Though Kumar and Nair share a passion for dance, classical Indian styles in particular, the two have charted their own paths in the U.S. and Houston, specifically.
Before devoting herself to performing and teaching
dance, Kumar taught English classes. But her passion for dance, instilled in her as a child, never faded.
Beginning with small classes, she worked her way up to build a network of families eager to enroll their children in dance.
“Mine is not a job,” Kumar said. “Mine is a vocation.”
Today, the Anjali Center has more than 150 students training in the 7,000-square-foot Sugar Land facility with enough room to host concerts with more than 300 attendees.
In 1994, Kumar expanded upon her desire to showcase Indian dance in Houston by creating the nonprofit Samskriti, meaning “cultural tradition” in Sanskrit. The organization puts on cross-cultural performances of Indian and American artists from different ethnic backgrounds.
Throughout the entire process of building up a dance academy and nonprofit, Kumar learned a lot about herself, working with others and time management.
Her advice to women seeking to start their own businesses: Be open to the learning opportunities that will inevitably arise.
Adaptability was key to Nair’s career path.
In 1990 she became the first student in India to earn a master’s degree in a form of classical dance from an affiliate of the University of Mumbai.
Her dancing career was temporarily put on hold when she moved to New Orleans in 2001 to support her husband, who had gotten a job offer there.
Nair notes that she could have easily followed the path of several accomplished Indian women who stopped pursuing personal career goals in favor of caring for their family.
But when she tried to take up dancing again by herself in the U.S., she realized just how much she missed performing on a stage to live music. She cried when she attempted a choreography to a pre-recorded CD.
“Indian music and dance are spiritual,” she said.
Balancing raising her children and living her dream, she began to travel between New Orleans and India for performances and tutoring opportunities.
After Hurricane Katrina, her family moved to Houston, where she’s been for the last nine years and where she has built up the Sunanda Nair Performing Arts Center.
She still travels to India every two months for a week at a time, but currently she is overseeing the renovation of a facility with multiple studio space and residential space for visiting artists.
“If you have a dream, if you have a passion, go all out,” she advises women entrepreneurs.