BENGALURU :  Twenty years ago, if you asked Seema Mehta her opinion on classical dance,  she would have said: Boring. The same person today has to her credit over 100 Kathak performances and is the founder of Chhandam Nritya Bharati India, where she has 60 students under her wing. All this is in addition to her being the creative director at Kirtilals, a diamond jewellery store. 

As someone who found the art form to be unexciting, the only way to have made the then 22-year-old Mehta to watch a classical dance performance was by force. “My friend forced me to accompany her for a performance by Pandit Chitresh Das. I was blown away by the storytelling, emotions and philosophy. I decided to learn Kathak from him,” she says.

Some might consider 22 a late start to classical dance. Mehta too wished she began earlier but believes dance entered her life at the right time. “Sometimes, people who start learning how to dance at the age of five, quit by the time they reach college. I’m blessed that though I started late, I could still make it my life’s path,” she explains. 

Growing up, Mehta always saw her grandfather look after the family business, but never considered being a part of it until her guru Pandit Das suggested it to her. “When he visited Coimbatore, I took him for a tour of our factory. He then suggested I join the family business since there was so much artistic talent to explore,” she says.

She now looks after the design and communication at Kirtilals. Her day is divided into three parts: Mornings are spent practising Kathak and afternoons are when she resumes her role as a creative director. She uses this time to meet various jewellery designers and goes over the pieces they’ve created for the company. Evenings are for teaching students at her school.

One might assume jewellery and dance are two different areas, but not for this 42-year-old, who believes that all art forms converge. “Dancing strengthens my mind but there’s more to it than that,” says Mehta. She adds that just like her dancing style remains traditionally Indian, the designs she creates for the store are also purely traditional. “I personally do not like fusion designs. Sometimes, we also customise designs for a customer. It’s just like choreographing a performance, it can only be created once and that remains unique,” she says. 

While she started learning Kathak in 2000, her first solo performance wasn’t until 2009. This remains her most memorable performance, but comes a close second to her favourite – the performances of her guru, which she watched either from the wings or the riser (where the musicians perform). “A lot of learning can happen from these points.

I also loved the green room experience where you got to see the whole process of getting ready before a performance and people’s reactions after a performance,” she recalls.Currently, she is preparing for a five-city tour in the USA next year, with tap dancer Jason Samuel Smith. “My guruji always wanted me to dance and be a part of my family business. I’m just happy I can fulfill his wish,” she says.