RHYTHM DIVINE: The Dhananjayans teaching NRI students at Chennai (above); New Yorker Rinil Routh learning a Kathak routine at Pandit Birju Maharaj’s school in Delhi (below)

In a red tank top and blue jeans, Subha Ravindhran hauls her Nikes across the University of Southern California (USC) campus in Los Angeles, hurriedly rummaging through her Kate Spade handbag. “I forgot my ghunghroos!” exclaims Ravindhran. She hurries to her two-bedroom apartment, quickly eats some leftover pasta, pulls on her warm-ups and a sweatshirt, grabs her dance bells and rushes to Culture Show practice.

Ravindhran, 21, is a broadcast journalist with NBC News. She is also an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer. The usc alumna was a regular in the Indian Culture Show, an annual event organised primarily by American-born and raised Indian youth on major university campuses across the US. fobs—Fresh Off the Boat—as students coming from India are affectionately referred to, are not as involved as one would expect. Alongside the typical Hindi film and bhangra numbers, these productions also showcase widespread classical talent. The majority of their training is done in America but many of these classical dance and music performers regularly spend time in India immersed in their chosen art form.

Like Ravindhran. She was only five when she and her older sister Priya, now an electrical engineering student at ucla, began training with Kalakshetra graduate Sundara Swaminathan in Northern California. Ravindhran was initially forced to spend her summer vacations learning dance in Chennai with renowned Bharatanatyam dancer V.P. Dhananjayan. But five visits and numerous professional performances across America and India later, Ravindhran appreciates the religious ties the art form has given her. “I don’t think I’m very Hindu on a day-to-day basis but when I dance, I feel Hinduism is a part of me,” she says.

LILTING STRAINS: Sandeep Narayan learns Carnatic music under Sanjay Subrahmanyan

Both Dhananjayan and Kathak maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj, among the most highly respected gurus, have seen a rise in the number of their non-resident Indian students over the past decade. Muses Birju Maharaj, “This is because the first generation population is growing up and developing a greater interest in their culture.”

Some dance schools in India have 5-10 non-resident Indian students a year who train for an average of four-six weeks during their vacations. These schools accept students who show a commitment regardless of whether they are beginners or professional performers, in return for a hefty fee. For instance, an advanced dance routine at Bharata Kalanjali, Dhananjayan’s school, could cost $200-2,000 depending on its length and complexity. There are also separate course fees. Kalasharam, Birju Maharaj’s school, charges a monthly sum the school wouldn’t reveal.

However, the fee isn’t an issue for the parents of these youth. “We don’t put a price tag on ‘art’,” says Padmini, Ravindhran’s mother. “The Dhananjayans are great teachers who have given our daughters a lot of encouragement over the past 12 years to continue to dance. Growing up in the US, dance was the only structured Indian extra-curricular activity available that exposed them to our rich Indian culture and heritage.”

Music students travelling to India are different because they are usually at an advanced level and have professional aspirations. Most don’t attend music schools but are initiated by a guru who provides personal training, generally for no charge. Individuals like Carnatic musician Sanjay Subrahmanyan may have around 10 disciples, up to half of whom are non-resident Indians.

T.M. Krishna, a Chennai-based senior vocalist, explains this is because “our musical system helps in their search to understand their minds and achieve greater levels of spiritual awakening”.

Dance and music teachers spend a significant part of the year performing and teaching around the world. However, training in India is an added bonus for students because it not only provides a break from routine and a unique exposure to the art form, but the regular and lengthy sessions also instil the “Indian” values of discipline and respect for a guru and elders.
Fourth year uc Berkeley student Nirmal Narayan, a mridangam trainee under Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, feels the “ambience and atmosphere of India” allow him to “concentrate on music without the distractions of school, friends or hobbies. That way I can gain as much knowledge and experience as possible,” he says.

Classical art also gives students “an extra dimension to their skill sets and achievements that helps them in their academic progress,” says Subrahmanyan. Sandeep Narayan, a 12th grader, laughs while agreeing that his classical training served as a perfect college-admission essay topic.

Dhananjayan, however, adds that parents sometimes have an ulterior motive. “The best way to be known in the society circle is to be a performing artist. For some children it graduates to becoming a passion,” he says. New York native Rinil Routh appears to be the exception since she is the one exerting pressure on her parents. Her parents’ reservations about travelling to India after the World Trade Center attacks and India’s current political turmoil couldn’t deter the 21-year-old. “She was so angry when we suggested she shouldn’t go,” says her mother Anita. “After many tears and arguments, she convinced us to support her in this.”

Rinil, who has also trained in modern dance, feels Kathak is a similarly creative art that offers her a much-needed connection to her roots. “I can’t relate to the lifestyle in India or the people necessarily, but everyone can relate to music and dance. My friends in New York, whether they’re Indian or not, don’t just appreciate Indian dance and music but really get into it.”

Says Aparna Balasubramanian, a 15-year-old from Maryland and also a Subrahmanyan student, “Music is universal. Wherever I may go, I will have my Indian culture with me and people will understand that.”

These youth exemplify Birju Maharaj’s belief that “whether someone is born in India or abroad, the Indian value system, the culture, is inherent within them”. Classical Indian dance and music have helped Indian-American youth strike the fine balance between two cultures. They have the best of both worlds, or more accurately, a chance to be at home in the world.