My heart melted a little the evening of November 19^th when seventeen members of the Chhandika Youth Ensemble performed SHAKTI, a kathak production, at Roxbury Community College. The performance was based on the teachings and choreography of the late Pandit Chitresh Das and flavored with the grace and creativity of Anjali Nath and Shefali Jain, co-directors of the Ensemble and teachers under the artistic guidance of Gretchen Hayden. It was a deeply meaningful event on many levels.

In 2001 a handful of Ms. Hayden’s students—we call her Gretchenji—sat in a classroom at MIT discussing the mission statement, values and programs that would define our fledgling non-profit, Chhandika. We had a vision in mind: a thriving music and dance center, a gathering place for the traditional arts of India, a vast community of arts practitioners and supporters, and an art form propelled confidently into the future yet firmly anchored in the richness of its past. Fifteen years later, while the first part of that vision—a center—remains just out of reach, the rest of it was clearly evidenced in a tangible, powerful way when these seventeen young women took the stage.

Dancing pieces pulled from a repertoire taught by Pandit Chitresh Das, himself the descendant of a long lineage of kathak gurus, these very modern young women—middle school, high school and college students busy with academics and extra-curricular activities and well versed in technology, social media and all their attendant distractions—gave a performance that could only have been the product of tremendous hard work, dedication and sacrifice. Performing a range of pieces, from a more traditional “gat bao” (storytelling) about Lord Krishna saving the people of Vrindavan from the wrath of Lord Indra to Chaurang, an acapella piece based on Pandit Das’ teachings of Kathak Yoga, these young women demonstrated they are versatile as well.

At this time in particular, when so many values are being put to the test, so many divisions widened, it was a balm and a ray of hope to see these young girls dedicate themselves to a classical art that for many represents their heritage, and share it with visible pride and joy with a multi-cultural audience that applauded with genuine appreciation and gratitude. Some of these dancers started out as four- and five-year olds, giggling and running and stomping in a class I co-taught with another Chhandika teacher who happened at the time to have her own four year old. As these girls have matured and come of age, so has Chhandika. Together with the traditional kathak solo concert by Shefali Jain—her debut performance—last December, these events are a reminder of our initial vision—how far we’ve come, and how much further we can go.

Historically, when the road has gotten rocky, artists have been compelled to work harder. To preserve traditions, to bridge communities, to unite through story and rhythm and beauty. The SHAKTI performance and all that it symbolized—female power, innovation within tradition, a blend of Hindu and Muslim traditions, a new generation of artists—brought all this home to me and, I suspect, to the rest of the audience. Now more than ever we must support our cultural organizations, and our children’s role in carrying forth their missions. I look forward to Anjali Nath and Shefali Jain’s planned concert, as well as the Chhandika biennial recital in June.

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