To define grace...

Munmun's dramatic posture during a dance

Munmun Ahmed is an established dancer, having achieved this position after years of learning, hard work and perseverance. She began to show an interest in this art form at a very early age. In 1978, Munmun began to take Kathak lessons from Syed Abul Kalam. 'I left for India in 1987, right after my High School exams.' she recounts. 'I studied at the Ram Bharatia Kala Kendra under Ram Mohan Maharaj and Raj Kumar Sharma. Finally in Delhi Kathak Kendra, I was guided by Pandit Birju Maharaj in the year 1989.'

After providing an account of her dance masters and guides, she also speaks a little about her daughter Aparajita, who keeps roaming about her mother with a bunch of questions regarding her English homework. 'Aparajita had done a solo performance at the age of seven', she beams with pride, while she helps with the homework. Would she want her daughter to follow her mother's footsteps? 'I wouldn't want to force anything on her now. She is still very young, and I teach her the art just as I teach many other children her age and older than her.' She says.

Going back to her learning days in India, she says that she had participated in a number of festivals there. 'I had performed at the Youth Festival in Delhi, Trivandrum Festival in Trivandrum, Kalka Brindabin festival at Kolkata and the Sachya Ganga Utsav in Benaras. Actually our final exams consisted of various kinds of performances, and reporters and several artistes came to watch the exam. Later on, they would recommend us for these festivals.'

Munmun Ahmed had also played the lead in the tele-film Woh din Asmaani and has been the subject of a Yoga film serial in India, not to mention her performances in various dance dramas.

Does she like to stay decked up even when she is not in public? 'What should I say to that?' she laughs. 'Well, I like to spruce up a bit whenever I am going out somewhere.'

Munmun Ahmed has represented Bangladesh in many international cultural conferences. 'I have thoroughly enjoyed my trips oversees. I had gone to Pakistan on one such occasion and surprisingly got a scope to experiment with my art forms once again. It was a four day programme, and I performed four different dance forms for an hour each day.' she says with a smile.

'It's really otherwise in our country. You wouldn't believe the number of professional and dedicated artistes in our country, who don't get a chance to experiment with or portray their art properly. Instead, a lot is spent to bring dance artistes from the neighbouring countries, which is nothing but promotional hype.' She says firmly. 'In fact, the attitude towards dance has to develop more amongst the people here. It is surprising when 'TV-ad' models with pretty faces are given more preference than young dancers themselves, when it comes to any big-time cultural programme in Bangladesh. How can you expect someone to convey the intricate expressions, by someone who has never had any training ?' she remarks.

Does she have any plans for Eid? 'Well nothing extensive for sure. Surprisingly, I haven't received any kind of offer to any Eid special programmes, which is a normal trend around this time of the year.' She quips in. 'But, other than that, I have begun my shopping for my family and myself. Everything is so expensive now.'

How does Munmun keep up with so many things happening around her? 'Well, I begin my day with my morning walk at Shangshad Bhaban, after which I come back home and get my daughter ready for school and give break fast to the family. I normally practice for two hours every day. After that I cook for the day and get set to go to the two schools where I teach. Nowadays, many schools of the English medium have made it a point to have compulsory dance classes for children. I really appreciate this thought, since this will keep the kids fit both physically and mentally.' She grins.