Bangalore: "I wanted to do something…I had a dream," said Uday Kumar Shetty, Odissi dancer and the first student of Protima Bedi at 'Nrityagram'.

What would strike one when one first met Shetty would be his beatific smile, which remained in the four-hour conversation. A warm and open person, he spoke of his journey through life as a dancer and a person.

"I was a milk-vendor at Hebri, my hometown in Mangalore. I would wake up at the early hours of the morning and supply milk. But I always craved to do something artistic, but somehow didn't know what," said the 33-year-old artist. He said that he got the opportunity soon when Protima Bedi had come to Hebri, as part of campaigning for Ramakrishna Hegde's party.

"When Gowri Ma (that’s how Protima Bedi was known to her students) performed the dance, I immediately felt that I too must learn the art form. After the performance, she announced that she was going to start a dance school in Bangalore and anyone interested could join," Shetty said.

While they were all leaving, he managed to get her attention and signaled her as to where the dance school would be. "Gowri Ma could not understand what I said, so Shankar Nag (Kannada film actor) who had come with her told me that the advertisement would come in the papers," he said.

Persistent as he was, he kept looking in the papers for the advertisement, but nothing came up. Also his family was not very supportive. His father said that all artists died poor and discouraged him from his pursuit.

"Somehow nothing was working out, so someone suggested to me that I go to 'Sabari Mala' and pray. I left almost immediately. When I got back, a friend of mine told me that something about a dance school had come in the papers. I looked in all the papers that came to our town. I finally found the advertisement," he continued.

Assuming that he needed some sort of a recommendation letter to see Protima Bedi, he got one written from a political leader and left for Bangalore. In Bangalore he went to his brother-in-law's house and took him along with him to see Protima Bedi.

"I sat before her and couldn't speak a word. I kept looking down. Also since I didn't know Hindi and Gowri Ma didn't know Kannada, we had a problem communicating. My brother-in-law acted as the mediator. I handed over the recommendation letter that I had. She took a glance at it and asked, What is this for? Look up at me and talk!" Shetty recalled his first meet with her.

After asking him a few questions, Protima Bedi admitted him at Nrityagram on the condition that she should see some improvement in him within three months.

"I was very happy. I was the only full-time student to join Nrityagram and the training was rigorous, but I practiced and worked constantly because this was the reason I had come all the way to Nrityagram," said the artist.

Soon there were a few more students including Surupa Sen and a Japanese girl, Yumiko Chatani. Initially Guru Kelucharan Mahapathra taught them, later his son Rathikant Mahapathra took over.

"Rathikant Mahapathra was always my guru, since he taught me Odissi. We used to practice 15 to 17 hours a day. I soon started getting written about. I was all Nrityagram had at that point," Shetty spoke of his first taste of fame. Shetty said that he did get much more than he ever had expected. His photographs appeared in all leading newspapers.

"It did get into my head," he admitted.

Speaking of his memories and times with Protima Bedi he said, "She was very generous to me. She saw my clothes after a few months of my joining Nrityagram and took me shopping to buy new clothes. She also taught me to drive the car and would let me take it to the city to buy provisions. Gowri Ma was very straight forward and would not like anyone to do things behind her back."

After one-and-half years of joining Nrityagram, soon there was a lot of politics involved between Kelucharan Mahapatra and Protima Bedi, he said. This got him very upset. In one such disagreement, Protima Bedi asked Rathikant Mahapathra to discontinue teaching at Nrityagram, Shetty said.

"I went up to her and told her that I too was leaving. Gowri Ma was shocked. She never thought I would leave. But I believed in the system of Gurukul and Rathikant Mahapathra had always been my guru. So when he left I too decided to leave the place," Uday Shetty said.

After this point, Uday Shetty also went through a low on his personal front with his marriage. He had to leave for Kerala and was totally away from his dance for nearly four years. At this time, he worked in the construction business.

"I never felt happy. I knew that I was not doing something I liked. I made good money, but it never mattered to me," he said

In 1998, his marriage was at its end and he made a trip to Bangalore at his family's insistence.

"I came to Bangalore but was determined to go back to Kerala. Then my brother-in-law suggested that I stay back and do some work in Bangalore. I thought of going back to dance," he said.

At this time there was a musical play held by the Kathak-duo, Nirupama and Rajendra. He went for the audition and got to do the role of a soldier in it.

"The moment I danced, Nirupama could recognise that I had learnt some dance form and she repeatedly asked me if I had learnt before. When I told her she was surprised. She said, You are that Uday Shetty! She told me to go back to Orissa and get back to Odissi, but I had no money," he said.

He insisted on doing some kind of a job even if it was menial labour. Nirupama and Rajendra could only give him a job as a light boy at their sound system company.

"I worked there in the backstage for a salary of Rs 400 per month. I didn't mind and lived the life of a back stage helper for awhile. I used to sleep on the tents and eat with the rest of them," he said.

Slowly he got back to Odissi by teaching a few students. He also got to do a role in a play written by Kuvempu and directed by the well-known director M S Sathyu called 'Smashana Kurukshetra'. After which he started to teach full time and set up his dance school called 'Kalatheera' at Bangalore.

"I always believed in hard work. When I go on stage to perform a certain role, I get totally involved in the character," the Odissi dancer said about his journey through dance.

"In many ways I want to promote what was Gowri Ma's dream. She wanted that every year new students go out from Nrityagram and further spread the art. I want to do this. I want to take dance into the villages so that talent can come out and be recognised," he said.

From then on he has not looked back and has only worked harder. He also met his wife, also a dancer of Kuchupudi, Sowmya and they got married recently.

Uday Kumar Shetty plans to make 'Kalatheera' a full-time school so that he can spread the beautiful art form of dance.

Address: Kalatheera Odissi Nrityashale, No 164, 14th 'A' Main, 8th 'A' Cross R P C Layout, Vijayanagar II Stage, Bangalore - 560079.

Email: kalatheera@yahoo.com