Albert Einstein once said, “We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams.” This quote aptly fits on the class 9 student Deepshikha Behura.
Deepshikha lived in Kotla Mubarakpur, Delhi but now she has moved to her hometown in Odisha due to lockdown. She is a dedicated Odissi dancer and loves dancing, however, things haven’t always been easy for her. Her leg got semi-paralyzed and due to being underweight, the doctor asked her to quit dancing but she didn't.
Deepshikha used to come and just sit in the class as she couldn't live without dancing and after a few classes, she slowly started moving her leg and expressed her desire to stand and dance.
Slowly with the help of steps and exercises in class, she started dancing again. Still, she could not move her left leg completely but didn't let that affect her spirit and desire to dance. At the age of 7, she won third prize in a national level competition organised by Bramhanad in Mumbai. She got an opportunity to be judged by a jury panel that consisted of Hemamalini, Deepak Mazumdar and Rupak Mehta.
In childhood, she performed as Krishna in International Geeta Jayanthi Mahotsav at Kurukshetra. She did many more programs, more than 100 shows across the country. She travelled with her fellow members and teachers to perform in the shows. She has also participated in many dance competitions and achieved recognition in and outside Delhi.
Deepshikha said, “Dance is my passion and I can't live without dance. Apart from dancing, I also love to paint. I have been doing this for the last 4 to 5 years. I have a problem with my legs and when I bend my legs, I feel a lot of pain. I am not able to walk and in this situation, it is very difficult for me to dance.”
She added, “My father is a plumber and my mother is a housewife. They supported me a lot. Recently, we moved to Odisha after the lockdown. We don't know when the lockdown will end and when we will come back to Delhi.”
CitySpidey also talked to her mother, she said, “We work hard for our children and we were very happy when we saw her on stage. She loved to dance so much. Her dance teacher Atasi helped us so much and she never charged a single penny from us. We are so thankful to her.”
Atasi, a classical dancer, founder of Kala Kalp Sanskrutik Sansthan said, “Out of my many students, Deepshikha is like a lotus inside a mud pond. She is a born talent. She was born in a below poverty line family but her skills were much more advanced than her reality.”
She added, “She has performed at many national and state-level dance festivals organised by the Ministry of Culture and many private organisations with our team. Despite her age, she has proved that she can do wonders on stage and win hearts, I wish her good luck to win many more.”
