Dancing beyond borders

Prerna Sudhakar Palekar, Goa’s first Kathak artist with a master’s degree in the form, has been selected by ICCR to represent Indian culture in Kazakhstan

RAMANDEEP KAUR | NT 

For the first time in her life, Prerna Sudhakar Palekar is packing woollens. The Ponda-based Kathak dancer is getting ready to travel to Kazakhstan, where she will stay for the next 18 months to teach and perform Kathak at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in the capital city, Astana. She has been selected for this role by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and will serve as a cultural ambassador for India.

This is a big step for Palekar, the first Goan to complete a master’s degree in Kathak. She is excited not only to share her dance with people from different parts of the world, but also to experience new things. “It’s my first trip outside India, and the first time I’ll see snow,” she says. “But more than that, I’m excited to connect with people through dance.”

Palekar’s journey with Kathak began when she was 11 years old. She saw a friend perform at a school event and was immediately drawn to the graceful movements and expressive storytelling. She started learning the dance form soon after. What began as a hobby slowly turned into a deep passion. “I wasn’t naturally talented,” she says. “But I kept going because I loved how this dance form tells stories.”

Kathak, she explains, comes from the word ‘katha’, which means ‘story’ in Sanskrit. “It began long ago with storytellers who travelled from village to village using gestures, rhythm, and expressions to tell stories from Indian mythology. Over time, the dance form grew and changed, especially during the Mughal period, and became one of the eight classical dance forms of India.”

Palekar trained in Goa under several teachers, including guru Varda Phadke Bedekar, guru Seema Khedekar, and guru Chandan Singh. She completed her Kushal Poorna certification at Kala Academy, Panaji. Later, she moved to Pune to study at Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune, where she did her master’s degree under the guidance of Kathak guru Pandita Shama Bhate.

Her Pune stint changed the way Palekar looked at dance. She realised it wasn’t just about learning steps and routines anymore. “In Pune, I learned to understand the meaning behind the movements. Dance became a way of life, not just something I did on stage.”

When ICCR announced the opportunity for dancers to represent India abroad, Palekar applied and went through a tough selection process. She was interviewed and had to give a dance demonstration. The panel looked at her performance skills, her teaching experience, and how well she could communicate with people from other cultures. One question that stood out to her during the interview was about whether it’s harder to teach children or adults. “I said adults, because they come with fixed ideas. Children are more open and easier to guide,” recalls Palekar.

Indeed, Palekar has been teaching Kathak for years. She has taught students as young as five and even adults in their sixties. She has also been a visiting faculty member at Vidya Prabodhini College of Commerce, Education, Computer & Management in Porvorim.

In Astana, Kazakhstan, she will be teaching Kathak to a mixed group of students, including people from Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia, and India. The classes will follow a structured syllabus and include exams, performances, and workshops. She will also visit schools and colleges to give talks and demonstrations. Her aim is not just to teach steps, but to share the beauty and history of Kathak with people who may never have seen it before.

Language and cultural differences don’t worry her much. “Dance doesn’t need translation,” she says. “If I can connect a movement to something from their own culture, they understand it right away. That’s how cultural exchange works.”

She will also perform on special occasions like Independence Day and Republic Day, but she hopes to do more than just official events. She wants to learn about local traditions, meet artists, and understand how people in Kazakhstan express themselves through dance and music.

Though she’s excited about her journey, Palekar is attached to her students in Goa. She runs her own Kathak school, Sudhakala Prangan, which has centres in Mapusa and Panaji. She started the school six years ago and has trained a number of students, some of whom have been with her since the beginning.

While she is away, she plans to continue teaching her students online. “I don’t want to break their learning flow. I’ll make time for them even from Kazakhstan. Everything I learn there, I’ll bring back and share with them.”

She also hopes that her story will inspire young dancers in Goa to dream bigger. “You don’t have to leave your love for art behind. Dance can be your profession too. Today, there are proper courses, degrees, and careers in classical dance. You can study it seriously and make a life out of it.”

For her, dance is more than performance. “It teaches you patience, discipline, and how to listen to others. It connects you with people.”

As she prepares to leave on July 25, Palekar reflects on the people who helped her along the way – her teachers, her parents, her students. “I’m standing here today because of them. I’m just passing on what I’ve learned.”