Rachana Kar
Some people are just born with an itch, a passion. These are the people who cannot do anything else with their life because nothing else would have their heart completely in that work. There is a certain unreasonableness in the way these people pursue their passion, but then it is the unreasonable few that really ever change the world for the better.
Rachana Kar decidedly falls into that category of people. As someone who has been in love with dancing since she was a child, and has patiently nurtured that relationship with patience and ceaseless perseverance. She has trained in the Gaudiya Nritya, the classical dance of Bengal. Starting after being inspired by their own mother, she has, over time, looked up to various other maestros for inspiration and guidance, most notable being here Guru, Prof. Mahua Mukherjee.
I started dancing because of my mother. My Guru, Prof. Mahua Mukherjee, is perhaps my biggest inspiration, and I hold her in very high regard.
Watching her perform is a pleasure like no other. She is incredibly versatile as an artist and can weave intricate solo as well as group performances with grace. Every single movement and facial expression is carefully planned and measured, and yet the emotional content of the performance is absolutely intoxicating.
Her work-ethic off-stage would seem unforgiving and downright unmanageable to others, but to a prodigious personality of Rachana Kar, it all comes effortlessly. She has had over 11 years of experience performing and has managed to be consistently one of the most prolific dancers you’ve ever seen, with undying integrity, flexibility, and endurance. The fundamental grounding for an awe-inspiring individual like her comes from her motivation; her love for her art and her ceaseless curiosity for the craft behind her is what keeps her going.
I am a deeply motivated person. I feel it is my ability to endure and my courage to approach life with integrity, that really makes me a unique person.
Overall these years, these qualities have clearly borne fruit. She has won the Gold Medal for Gaudiya Nritiya at the Manmohan Ghosh Gold Medal Award Competition for the year 2018-19. She is a highly sought artist and has performed on many high profile platforms, including at events in Thailand, Bangladesh, Greece, and Venice.
In addition to making important contributions to the culture with her performances, she has also given a lot of thought and effort to add to the now-burgeoning international network of artists. She has given multiple seminars for Gaudiya Nritiya, including at places like UAE and Greece. She has also developed great professional relationships with eminent dance professionals, choreographers, and performers from different countries by actively listening and effectively communicating with the International Dance Council (CID). She is also a Member of the International Dance Council, Paris. It is because of all these distinguished achievements that she holds the Senior National Scholarship for Gaudiya Nritiya from the Ministry of Culture, Delhi.