Following in mom’s footsteps

Clearly the young women who graced the stage of the Rudranath Capildeo Centre in Couva were not from India. They were the Ramsawak sisters of Couva who are exponent of the art of the ancient style of devotional dance known as Oddissi. Indira, Shalini, and Nirmala Ramsawak, ages twenty-two, nineteen, and seventeen respectively are following in the footsteps of their mother Momeena Ramsawak who is a former dancer under the tutorship of Anita Chandradathsingh.

The girls are students of the renowned Kala Mandir Dance Institution. Under the guidance of the India-trained author and choreographer Sandra Sookdeo the girls learnt the art of devotional dancing within a short period of time.

On the occasion of Indian Arrival Day the very proud mother Momeena told a touching story of her own struggle. Having lost her mother Halima Rahaman at an early age in life, young Momeena found comfort in looking at Indian movies. Hence the reason why she sought to learn East Indian dancing. She was one of the few who wanted to learn the ancient art of dance so that she can maintain her dignity as a performer. Momeena was described as a dedicated dancer who sacrificed to learn the authentic art, instead of the film dancing. Then she got married to Seebaran Ramsawak and her life took another turn. She was now a full-time wife and mother. But no sooner than her babies came in the world she exposed them to devotional songs. Momeena was eager for them to start dancing.

One of her favourite pastimes was spent showing her daughters the dance movements she learnt. She would dance for their eyes only. And the girls sensed the dedication of their mother and wasted no time in following in her footsteps by dancing to the beat of the tabla and the sitar.

Therefore, devotional dancing is a part of their regular routine in the Ramsawak household.

Indira who looks after her younger sisters while performing explains that dance is much more than an art for her. “I am doing this dance for Lord Ganesh (Hindu God). And I feel that connection to the Gods. It is deep spiritual feeling on stage. It is as if I am in the heavens with the gods and I am one of them,” she admits.

Indira who is a successful accountant in one of the leading firms in TT says that dance has disciplined her in many ways. “It is really a tremendous sacrifice to learn each step and to then implement it on stage. It takes weeks to master just a few movements. But each movement has a different meaning and it is transferred in the dance recital,” she explains. Even if the audience doesn’t understand Hindi, they can sense the deep meaning and are often moved by the recital, she added.

Shalini is now working as a training clerk in a financial institution while the youngest Nirmala is pursuing her ‘A’ level subjects at the Waterloo High School.

The sisters have found great happiness in dancing and are all grateful to their teacher Sookdeo for showing them the way.