| Always on Her Toes  Indian classical dancers live a rich, varied life filled with rhythm and movements. Take the case of Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan, 56, who decided to unfold the fascinating tale of her life in Meandering Pastures of Memories (Macmillan)-a book which paints a vivid portrait of her determination and achievements. "It is an honest narration of my life," says Narayan, who combines her career of classical dance with her demanding profession as a senior civil servant belonging to the Indian Audit and Accounts Service. Apart from performing and organising festivals, Narayan has another passion-she often goes down the memory lane and pens her experiences-which over the years have taken the shape of a book. For Narayan, dance has been an obsession. She was initiated into Kathak at the age of four by well-known dancer-actress of yesteryear Sadhna Bose in Kolkata and Guru Kundal Lal in Mumbai. Later, she learnt from Pandit Birju Maharaj. Her style is an amalgamation of Jaipur and Lucknow gharanas. She has incorporated modern themes such as child abuse and human rights in her performances, thus giving the traditional dance a new vitality and meaning. "Although I am rooted in tradition, I keep the windows and doors of my mind open. That helps me inhale the fragrance of myriad cultures," she says. Narayan has written eight books earlier, which have all dealt with Indian folk traditions and the various dance forms. However, in her latest opus there is an unending dialogue between her and her dance as well as between the world and the individual. It documents her life as a dancer and as a family person and her contribution to dance. The book is divided into four chapters that deal with Narayan's childhood and the social changes she witnessed; her parents' role in her life; marriage, motherhood and personal musings. She married Austrian diplomat Herbert Traxl after a long-distance courtship. In the last chapter-Personal Musings-she touches on her health problems and how the media made "catty remarks" about her powdered face when she was suffering from a skin disease. It is a poignant narrative of a woman who has tried to balance the dual roles of a dancer and a government servant. What next? She is working on her next book on Krishna. For Narayan, there is never a dull moment in life.
-By S. Sahaya Ranjit | 
