‘I have had a fascination for images and when these images started moving, I grew fond of appreciating dance forms’.

However, amongst all the Indian dances I should be very frank in admitting that I understand none. One amongst them does albeit arouses me from within; the dance form, Kathak. I don’t know the reason, perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I grew up in Lucknow and the sound of thumri rings sedative bells in my amygdala. Throw reasons out and what remains is the fact that I love the feet pounding on the ground. It’s highly erotic. During my journey at Banaras (4 years at ITBHU) I experienced the classical music and dance form to its very roots. I spent nights soaking the best of practitioners. I took me time to appreciate a horn before I saw the beauty of shehnai. Sarod, Jal Tarang I watched and bathed in the balm, night after night. One instrument steals my heart when it actually stops pounding and lets the instrument pound instead, the mridangam or pakhawaj. I would get a mental erection when I saw a Kathak dancer dance to tabla and pakhawaj with the vocals only putting me to a heavenly sleep. I would watch the legs in ghunghroo for hours and yet emerge from the slumber as if it never started.

My journey in USA exposed me to other dance forms and a whole lot of music. I like the energetic forms much more than the slower ones and felt as if ‘tap dancing’ was waiting for me to watch it and experience a similar meditative state; the movement of the feet again. I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to watch anybody’s feet tapping. Just the mention that somebody tap dances makes me fall in love with that person. Like I fell in love with my wife when we were courting; she mentioned ‘kathak’. It was only after marriage that I came to know that she took lessons as a six yr old kid. And now we make fun of it…still the fact that she is a part of it, even if for a fraction, makes me love her even more.

I must admit that I love women more in Kathak (no offence to Birju Maharajji who I have seen often at Banaras) and men in Tap Dance. I would infact take to farthest humane possibility; Mr. Tap Dance and Smt. Kathak will make a beautiful couple. I wonder what would come out of it. If I for one were watching them together, I might pass out in a celestial orgasm.

Here I will share my love with you in two forms,

1. Tap Dance by Nicholas Brothers, and

2. The Indian Kathak (from Shatranj ke Khiladi) and let you make a comparison for yourself. For me there are no differences, similarities are many and the biggest being my hypnotic state during either.