The icon of Braj Culture, Geetanjali on giving up a middle-class life to pursue her dreams, empowering women and earning respect in India and foreign lands
Geetanjali Sharma
Hailing Jai Shri Krishna from the holy land of Mathura, Geetanjali Sharma has pushed Braj Bhoomi's creative traditions and culture to new heights with fervour and excitement. She began her career as a near-novelty, an ambitious girl from a conservative middle-class family who battled the orthodox minds of Mathura and became the first real lady to play Radha on stage.
Despite being honoured with the "Bismillah Khan Award" and the "Yash Bharti Samman," her greatest success is her unwavering commitment to breaking the gender barrier. She is the first female actor to play Radha in Ras Lila. Prior to her, the part was always played by young boys on stage, and girls on stage were shunned. Against her parents' desires and Goverdhan's social code, she pursued her dreams.
On her thrilling story, she shares “As a seven-year-old, I used to go watch Rasleela with my mother. Always witnessing Radha's character being played by men only, one day a thought stroked my mind that what if I had played the role of Radha on stage, how good it would have been?”
This curious thought gave rise to a modern Radha of Braj, known as Geetanjali herself, who travelled to Singapore at just the age of 15 to showcase her expressions and skills in an international dance competition, forever erasing Matura's conservative social code and gender barrier. She now performs Jaipur Gharana’s Kathak and Shri Krishna folklore and exhibits the country's culture worldwide.
“I have worked to gain deserved respect and acclaim,” she says as she recounts her painful recollections and struggle. “Dance was frowned upon in my family and culture when I was born. My father was adamantly opposed to my wishes. He didn't like it when I danced on stage in front of an audience. When it came to my dance, where and how would it find easy acceptance in such a situation? The war between my love of dancing and society's aversion to it raged on, but the spirits triumphed.”
She has performed on stage with world-famous artists such as Hema Malini and renowned Santoor player Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and, her art has been displayed in countries such as England, Mexico, China, Thailand, and Malaysia. She has beautifully repaid Matura's folk art with much-deserved fame while gaining a large fan following in foreign lands.
She affirms “When someone goes abroad and makes a name for themselves, people in India assume they must be good. If not for that, they wouldn’t have given me the chance. Earlier, men would dance as Radha, but times have changed, and now women are dancing as Krishna. We artists gain power when the fight against discrimination reaches the people.”
“Now, if I go to my village in Mathura, Govardhan, it is extremely unexpected that the men, who used to protest my performance before, now appreciate me by tying a safa on my head.” She adds.
Geetanjali is credited with reviving Braj's aesthetic heritage in the world of music. The Ras Leela, as a traditional art form, has profited much from technology, such as sound, lights, and props, and is now much more widely accepted than it was a few years ago when it was restricted to the Braj Mandal only. Geetanjali and her band now play in front of crowds all over the world.
Geetanjali erupts into a boisterous dance performance that stimulates and captivates the senses, forcing people to take to their feet off as her group joins the audience in a lively musical session with Holi Khel Raho Nand Lal. The fascinating beauty of being engrossed in Sri Krishna's thoughts and the studied expressions on her face and body movements merge nicely with the Bhakti Ras gushing freely.
The clapping is thunderous and heartfelt all across the place. According to Geetanjali, "The famed Charkula dance, also known as the Braj folk, has as many fans as any other dance form today. Wherever we've had the chance to play and share Braj culture, we've received a lot of positive feedback. Our dances are intended to elicit Bhakti and affection for Krishna and Radha, his adored."
Geetanjali is a well-known Kathak proponent, trained by the great Uma Dogra who herself is the senior-most disciple of Pt. Durga Lal, the Kathak Maestro from Jaipur Gharana. “Often, the artists of the folk genre are undervalued while distinguishing between the artists of the classical genre and the folk genre,” she says, referring to fuzzy distinctions and people's ignorance of traditional art forms. In this situation, I chose both genres and studied Kathak of the Jaipur Gharana from Mumbai's Hon'ble Uma Dogra. In addition, I continued to rehearse Braj's folk dances, such as Raas and Peacock dance and brought them both to life on stage. The reward of persevering with this art was that the genre got more well-known. With this experiment, I am able to convey the culture of India not only in the country but also abroad.
With her innovations, she was able to wind up the week-long Ras Leela event in only a few hours of the show. Dialogues were replaced by her expressions. The lyrical dancing of Geetanjali as Radha enthrals audiences to the point where everyone feels she is the reincarnated Radha herself. “Yes!” she exclaims with a giggle. People call me Radha with dedication and love wherever I go.”
Sharing her message for conventional parents and the striking gender barriers all around India, She proudly says, "Today, I tell every parent that before their daughter is married, she should be given at least one chance to fulfil her dreams." We must empower them so that they can realise their goals and conquer the world.”
She says, "Mark my words, I will continue to dance for the rest of my life, even after my marriage." As when she showed interest in being a dancer, she did not have any role model before her to follow. If at all she had anything it was books, education from her mother and her feelings and emotions for Radha, which propelled her to accomplishment. Today many boys and girls, aspiring for success, look up to her, and she is always willing to assist and encourage them in their endeavours.
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She has founded an original dance school in Mathura to teach and pass on culture and ancient art forms to the city's future artists. She provides free training and polishes the talent hidden in the newcomers to this field. Geetanjali has a separate side that portrays her as a social activist. She feels that an artist's holy mission is to serve both environment and humanity. With her sincere endeavours, she is successful at inspiring people around the world.
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