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Bharatanatyam makes a stop at the Delhi Metro!
DU student Manya Dadhichi’s classical dance reel, where she performs inside a metro train, is winning hearts all over social media timelines.
When 19-year-old Manya Dadhichi recently found herself alone in a Delhi Metro coach, the Bharatanatyam dancer’s immediate instinct was to put her shoes away and shake a leg! Being a part of the reel generation, the Hansraj College student didn’t forget to hit the record button and post a short video on her Insta. Having garnered over 711k views in a few days, the young creator says dance means just one thing to her — Ishq.
“I was travelling in the metro by myself and vibing to Priya Saraiya’s Kalle Kalle (Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui; 2021). I realised that the coach was empty and decided to click some pictures, as we don’t get to see this sight quite often. I randomly made a quick dance video and sent it to my friends… and they thought it was great. So, I posted it on my socials. It soon blew up and many people loved it,” shares the BSc Physical Sciences with Computer Science student.
Her reel has also been shared by Saraiya, and talking about the adulation she has received so far, she shares, “A lot of people appreciated me for my dancing, a few were in awe of my freestyle, and some loved me for my classical take on a Bollywood song. Many were curious to know how I maintained my balance on a moving train, and many people praised me for removing my shoes before performing the dance.”
Calling the Delhi Metro her second home in Delhi, Dhadhichi adds that she will not attempt it again as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) prohibits videography on its premises. “I can’t afford to get kicked out! A few people in the comments have policed me about the rules, but that’s fine as I’m at fault. Dancing is my passion; I will find new locations to shoot dance reels.”
Also a part of her college’s street dance society, the Dehradun girl took up Bharatanatyam when she was an eighth grader. She has been training in the dance form for the last eight years, and also learning Kathak alongside. To satiate her hunger for the art, she also trains in Hip-Hop. “Whenever someone asks me what dance means to me, I say, Ishq. And, I would trade a large chunk of followers to get some of the great and recognised artists of our country to see and appreciate my work,” she ends.
Author tweets @siddhijainn
