The  culmination of Arya Nitya Singh’s dance journey took place at the Naparima Bowl, San Fernando, recently where she performed a full Odissi dance repertoire at her Manch Pravesh Ceremony.
Manch Pravesh holds both cultural and religious significance, since participation comes after a Guru determines that the student has perfected her art and is able to perform a full Odissi dance repertoire as a solo artiste.
Singh–a former student at St Augustine Girls’ High School–has been training in the Indian Classical dance form of Odissi for the past 15 years under the guidance of Guru Sandra Sookdeo.
Her dance journey began when she was only five years old at the Kala Mandir, on Monroe Road, Cupunia, where she not only learned Odissi from Guru Sookdeo, but other Indian classical dance forms such as Kathak, Mohini Attam and folk dances from different regions of India, including Bhangra, Ghoomar and Lavani.
At Kala Mandir, run by Guru Sookdeo, students also learn Hindi, Gita, Ramayan, music and vocal training.
Guru Sookdeo’s own journey in dance commenced in 1976 when she became a student of Kala Kendra, a dance unit of the National Council of Indian Culture.
She initially studied the classical dance styles of Kathak and Odissi, under the guidance of Shri Pratap and Shrimati Priya Pawar, and continued her training with the late Shri Pradeep Shankar.
She was then granted a scholarship from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago under the General Cultural Scheme of India 1987.
In 1991 Guru Sookdeo graduated from Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra in Delhi, where she majored in Odissi under the expert guidance of the grand master of Odissi- Guru Mayadhar Raut.
To further broaden her knowledge of the Indian classical dance, she studied Mohini Attam with Shrimati Bharati Shivaji and did a complete study of the practice and theory of the major folk dances of India under Shrimati Dutta.
Committed to returning to Trinidad and professionally training students, Guru Sookdeo broadened her skills base by studying Pakhawaj under Shri Prabhakar Khuntia.
She resumed her position at the Ministry of Education, when she returned home in 1991 and worked as a civil servant until she retired.
That same year, Guru Sookdeo founded Kala Mandir which has presented dance recitals annually, including Swagatam, Sangeet Bhavana, Lok Utsav, Baal Krishna Leela, Krishna Avatar, Bhakti Sagar, Ramayan Katha, Shakti Maa, Guru Smaranam, Bhaja Govindam and the much-acclaimed Mahadev.
Bestowed with the title of Guru in 2010 by Pujya Guruji Prof HS Adesh, Guru Sookdeo has received several awards for her contribution to culture, including The Hummingbird Medal Silver in 2012.
Singh is Guru Sookdeo’s 12th student to perform her Manch Pravesh. Following her older sister Arshia’s Manch Pravesh, Singh was determined to take her classical dance to a level where her Guru would find her capable of performing as a solo artiste.
The discipline and time management that is required to be a classical dancer has aided the young woman in her academic journey, as she is currently attending the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, where she is pursuing a degree in medicine.
Singh credits her parents, Dr Yardesh Singh and Nadine Singh, and her Guru, not only for her success as a dancer, but also for her academic success. She feels blessed that her Manch Pravesh was held on Guru Purnima, an auspicious day in the Hindu Calendar where the Guru is honoured.
