Today, I am going to take you into the life of a path-breaking dancer, who, in 1960 was buried alive just an hour after her birth by her community and village seniors and as per them her fault was that she was born a girl, though later she was fortunate to be rescued by her aunt. She came from the traditional and very orthodox nomadic Kalbeliya community. Kalbeliya’s are basically snake charmers community, who travel from one place to another, their income is mainly from the prayer offered to snakes and dealing in Ayurvedic medicines.
I am talking about the legendary Kalbeliya dancer, Gulabo Sapera, who was fed with the milk meant for the snakes as that was all her extremely poor snake charmer parents could afford. She was never allowed to study nor work and was made to remain in Ghungat all the time as a girl child in their community was looked down upon. Not just that Gulabo Sapera’s shocking life is also featured in a French book written by Thierry Robin and Véronique Guillien titled ‘Gulabi Sapera, danseuse Gitane du Rajasthan’ means Gulabo Sapera, the Gypsy dancer from Rajasthan.
I feel privileged to be talking to Gulabo ji, who in spite of all odds have risen to a level that many of us can only dream of. Here are a few questions which I asked the dynamic Kalbeliya dancer, who I feel has a body like a rubber band, she can move it, twist it and turn it like no one can and maybe no one will:
How did Kalbeliya become a part of your life?
I was a dancer by birth, my mother tells me that I would never play with other children rather I would always be dancing to the music of the snake charmers flute (been). Once I was dancing at the Pushkar Mela and a Rajasthan tourism officer happened to see my dance and said, ‘tumhari toh haddiya he nahi hai (you have no bones in your body)’. The officer offered me to dance for foreign guests in return for money, which my family later agreed to and at the age of 10 in 1981, I did my first stage performance. For the show, my father gifted me with Ghungaroos. That day the dignitaries present cheered like never before and called my moves ‘Kalbeliya ka Sapera’. It has been over three decades, and now I feel proud to say that Kalbeliya dance has arrived.
Your community did not allow women to dance then who helped you move ahead?
Maharani Gayatri Devi and a few other royals explained and encouraged my family to allow me to pursue my snake charmers dance, in spite of it not being accepted well by my community. Thanks to Maharani ji I have not left dance and dance has not left me.
When did you get your due recognition you think?
In 1985, I was invited to dance at the prestigious Indian Festival in Washington DC, a day before my tour, my father passed away, with a heavy heart and tears rolling down under my long ghungta I danced at the festival and when I returned back to India, people of my community welcomed me with open arms and asked me to train other ladies too in Kalbeliya. To me, this warm welcome with a changed attitude was the recognition of my art.
With so many dance forms coming into India, where does folk dance stand?
In the 1980s and 1990s folk dances were very popular, I remember dancing with different folk dancers on the same stage. But after 2005 there was a big change, today reality shows only flaunt Hip Hop and Contemporary, there is rarely any folk. I have nothing against international dance forms but I believe if we through our films and television can’t promote our own culture and traditions, then who will?
Do you think our folk dances are more popular in the West?
I have loads of international students and I feel humbled that their government offers them scholarships to come to learn under my guidance. These students go back to their respective countries and perform Kalbeliya professionally, in turn helping us popularise our rich old culture in the West. Yes, somewhere the west does have a softer corner for our cultural dances compared to us here in India.
Which other folk dances you have expertise in? And what is the future you think?
I only specialise in Kalbeliya and proudly teach the same, I do not want this art to die with me, so I try my best to teach it to as many people as possible. I wish to thank the Government of India and the Padma award committee for honouring me with the fourth highest civilian award ‘Padmashri’ in 2016, because after the honour the love in peoples heart towards Kalbeliya has risen to a completely new level and dancers have started to believe that Kalbeliya can surely be a respected profession.
Did your stint in ‘Bigg Boss season 5’ bring more light to Kalbeliya?
Yes, it did add a lot to my art, at first I was not keen to participate but my children explained to me the advantage of a show as big as Bigg Boss. People started to recognise me and called me ‘Bigg Boss wali Gulabo’, to be honest, post my television appearance in 2011, I have performed for loads of shows and events with the same tag.
You have achieved worldwide recognition, What next?
I have dedicated my life to Kalbeliya through shows and workshops all over the world, but my dream is to open a dance academy in the same place where I performed first ‘Pushkar’. My dance academy will not only teach Kalbeliya but will also teach Ayurveda and have a museum that will also show a large number of Indian handicrafts, traditional instrument, cloths and much more.
An artist like Gulabo Sapera is rare gems of India, her love for Kalbeliya can be seen not just in her breathtaking performances but even in the way she speaks. Let us all stand up and bow down to her as she has proved that passion and sincerity can not only change the future of a person but can also bring about a change in the mindsets of the society we live in. Hats off Gulabo Sapera, Hats off!
Sandip Soparkar
