I am a student in Kusum ji’s intermediate Hindi class (Hindi 203), where we have the joy of learning not only the Hindi language, but also the beautiful culture it is intertwined with.
In September, we had a virtual Bollywood dance class with the multi-talented, fit, and inspiring instructor Vidya Nahar. We were to learn the dance steps of the immensely popular song “Ghungroo,” whose catchiest lyric (in my opinion) goes like this:
Chod ke saare sharam aur laaj
Main aise zor se naachi aaj
Ke ghungroo toot gaye
Translated:
Leaving all my shyness and inhibitions behind
Today I danced my heart away
Till my anklets (dancing bells around the ankles) came undone
Combine those lyrics with a great tune, and some charismatic dance moves performed by Hrithik Roshan and Vaani Kapoor, and that’s a song you can dance to!
Now, I rarely ever dance and was a bit unsure how I would do it, but Vidya ji’s enthusiastic step-by-step directions made it smooth for even a beginner to get into the groove. I quickly started to enjoy myself and, as the song directed, to let go of inhibitions. It was fun to see the rest of my classmates on screen and also let loose to the melody. I doubt any of us were wearing ghungroos (anklets), but if we were, who knows, some of them might have come undone!
After dancing to our heart’s content - in other words, after we got tired - we stopped to ask Vidya ji some questions and learn more about her. We discovered that she is a devout practitioner of yoga who commits herself to live a healthy lifestyle and teaching others to do the same.
Vishal, another student, said, "I enjoyed the dance lesson and I liked that we had heard the song in class before the dance class. I do like the song and have listened to it even after the dance class. Vidya was very knowledgeable and a helpful, accommodating instructor. She may be able to share her computer audio/screen next time so everyone can hear the music better."
Overall, I felt a lot of positivity from the session and left class that day feeling more relaxed than before, and happy that I had danced.
This event was supported and funded by Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and Duke Service-learning.
Department of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies