Latest Concert
Odissi by Joyoti
Venue: Upper Yarra Arts Centre
Date: Saturday 10th April, 2010
Time: 8pm start
Full - $24
Concession - $20
Odissi Workshop
Venue: Upper Yarra Arts Centre
Date: Friday 9th April, 2010
Time: 12pm-4pm
Cost - $30
Born in Calcutta, India - the "City of Joy", I am the younger child in a family of four and second oldest grandchild amongst lots of cousins. From my memories of my childhood, and from the stories I have heard from my parents and aunties and uncles, I was a tom boy. I had a good appetite, played hard, hit hard and never backed down.. The word fear was not in my vocabulary at that time. I used to dominate my brother, who is four years older than me, and protect him from bullies - no wonder he complained that his friends wouldn't come to our house to play with him. They were scared of me!! Part of that tomboy is still in me - make no mistake. I can still scare people sometimes...
At the tender age of nine, I experienced my first major life change. A big change. My family moved to the then unfamiliar environment of Australia. A new life began for all four of us. New place, new faces, new rules. We had to conform to a new culture, yet nurture our identity. Looking back this was a great experience for it made us discover, grow and accept our individuality.
Primary school in Australia was different. Except for their Catholic origins, Carmel Convent in India had nothing in common with Sacred Heart Primary School in Melbourne. Children in Melbourne were given the opportunity to learn from playing games. Learning all of a sudden became a fun experience. This was a huge change from the schools in India where I used to be buried under books and endured hours of cramming. It was even more enjoyable in Secondary school. I went to Star of the Sea, later changed to Mentone Girls Secondary College. This was my first break from going to Catholic schools. Yes!!! This was my opportunity rekindle the old spirit of being cheeky and naughty. I looked for opportunities to laugh and have innocent fun. I made a lot of great friends, who have all gone onto lead successful professional and family lives.
After secondary schooling, it was time for me to be a more serious. I had to decide what to do next. I was an average scholar with no pre-ordained career path to constrain me. Now I had the power to steer my life in any direction I chose. I tried to continue further studies and tried to qualify as an Accountant, but soon realized that it was not for me. I needed inspiration from people, not numbers and balance sheets and auditing journals. I gave that a rest after obtaining my Accounting Certificate at Swinburne University. In the mean time I had started a little dance school myself and began to teach children. Then the epiphany... teaching came naturally to me so why not pursue it academically.
And all this time I was growing up! Somewhere along the line I became my own person. I found myself enjoying responsibility, caring more, feeling empathy for the people around me, and occasionally giving into my emotions...you know!. All in all I found myself enjoying being me and having a fun and interesting life.
Overall, my life so far has been filled with huge learning experiences which I treasure. I have had to work hard but had lots of fun as well. The friends I have made along the way and the respect I have received from the young and the old, from the insignificant to the significant members of society, from all the places I have been to is extremely fulfilling. I am specially privileged to have been able to touch so many lives through my dance and teaching. I am continuing to grow, explore and learn. Along with my humble achievements, the mistakes I make are important to me. They add to my experiences and I am grateful for that. My lifelong endeavor now is to continue to be an outstanding role model for all those who come in contact with me...and so the story about me continues!!