classical kathak has intrigued me for a long time and i was very keen to learn this art form, my dream came true when dr. vinod hasal, the founder of radha krishna academy had a workshop in johannesburg.instantly i was drawn towards this beautiful dance form and joined the academy.it is a great honour and privilege to train under a guru of such magnitude being the 8th generation succeeding this art form in its purest and traditional form.

kathak for me has been more than just a dance form.it has been and is a symbol of courage, to continue even when feeling defeated.a symbol of dedication, without it nothing can be accomplished.a symbol of love, appreciation and respect, towards the one that is your guru and to the dance form itself.

after this journey of dance that i have experienced, i have truly learnt the meaning of guru shishya parampara.no words can express the gratitude that overwhelms my heart at being afforded the opportunity to graduate in kathak at my young age of 16years.i offer my salutations to my three gurus, pujya pramukh swami maharaj, acharya shri ganesh hiralal hasal and ofcourse my guruji, dr. vinod hasal.

“the greatest acheivement that i have accomplished was the opportunity to learn to dance.dancing brings love to my heart,bliss to my soul ,strength to my body and wisdom to my mind.

the articulate beauty of form,expression, scintillating rhythmic utterance and devotional background displayed in kathak has sparked in me a sense of joy,spiritual enlightenment and discipline.the arrival of my “guruji” (dr. vinod hasal) to johannesburg almost 6 years ago had presented me with the long awaited opportunity to broaden my constrained knowledge in this art form.”

“dancing has embedded a deep rooted discipline and pure love for the fine art of performance in me.. and i thank paramatma for blessing me with the talent.i am ever grateful to my guruji and his father acharya ganesh hiralal hasal for granting me the privelege to learn classical kathak and for exposing me to this pure and divine art form… an experience i will cherish forever”..

” kathak which started off as a hobby has now not only become a part of my life but one of my priorities.through kathak i have learnt the importance of humility towards my guru.my guru has taught me to be patient ,dedicated and that through practice ,success can be accomplished

kathak which started off as a hobby has now not only become a part of my life but one of my priorities.through kathak i have learnt the importance of humility towards my guru.my guru has taught me to be patient ,dedicated and that through practice ,success can be accomplished

i have chosen the art form of indian classical kathak as a hobby which i have always enjoyed and wanted to do but never had an opportunity until my adulthood.dancing has become more than a hobby for me.it has taught me many things such as self-discipline,respect for the guru and others, the religious aspects of dancing and of prayers.it has increased my self-confidence.as an indian living in a western society it is very difficult to maintain our religion,art and culture.we should be grateful to our spiritual leaders and art teachers for keeping them alive in south africa.

there’s something magical about a good story-it can captivate listeners and take them anywhere from the hills of the himalayas to the forests of vrindavan.i love stories and kathak gives me the opportunity to dance them too. by watching a good kathak dancer you sometimes feel as though krishna is playing his flute right here in joburg.there is a spiritual feeling that i cannot explain.what i can explain is that it is hard to be good story teller! i consider myself privileged to be able to learn from a truly gifted dancer, dr. vinod hasal-i am thankful to him for sharing his talent with us.

i had never really pictured myself to be dancer, i had always thought i was the kind who would sit in the audience and be entertained.after a while i realized that maybe i would like to try it out, which was a good choice, so here i am, six years down the line with the teen taal beat set into me and dancing exquisite poetry of lord krishna in an age old dance form. the experience has been captivating thanks to the teachings of our guru, dr. vinod hasal and the very inspirational acharya ganesh hiralal hasal.

i joined kathak as a hobby but since then my hobby has become more of a learning experience than a pastime. it has taught me grace, determination and patience, especially with myself. i have also learned that the mistakes i make give me the opportunity to improve and no matter how much i know there’s always more to learn i would like to thank our guruji dr. vinod hasal for the opportunity and honour to be one of his first graduates…