PRAGATI PRAVA
She is all of seven and passionate dancer Kshirabdhi Tanaya has floored choreographers and artistes on TV and at stage shows with her mesmeric moves. The huge Sridevi fan is equally good in studies…
She is all of seven, yet has won millions of hearts by grooving to Sridevi’s iconic track ‘Hawa Hawai’ (from the 1987 blockbuster Mr India) in a number of dance shows in the state and outside.
At a tender age, the huge Sridevi fan dreams of putting herself into the superstar’s shoes, while most grown-ups believe that becoming a superstar in tinseltown is not a cakewalk.
Kshirabdhi, who has recreated the Sridevi chartbuster in many shows and is a participant in the third round of Tarang TV’s dance reality show ‘Best of Odisha, season-3’, said: “Sridevi is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Apart from her beauty, I love all her expressions. Her dance steps are just amazing. I love to follow her steps whenever I get a chance.”
The Class III student of Amrita Vidyalayam in Bhubaneswar has participated in over 200 dance programmes and fashion shows and won awards in many. According to her mother, Bijayalaxmi Mishra, a playschool teacher, Khirabdi started showing interest in dancing when she was only two and a half years old. “When she watches a dance programme on TV, she tries to imitate the steps. She has been performing in stage shows since she was three years old. Her performance on stage is spontaneous and free-flowing.”
According to Kshirabdhi’s dance teacher, Srikant Kumar Raulo, “Teaching the little girl is a fun. She practises two hours daily and I completely enjoy the time when I teach her. The extremely talented girl is a master at capturing the choreographer’s craft and generating the exact patterns. She is currently learning classical, semi-classical, contemporary and Odissi dance.”
Recounting a memorable experience, Kshirabdhi said: “At the ‘Emerging Talent Contest’ organised by Mount Litera Zee School I performed the number ‘Salam Karne Ki Arzoo Hai’ from the film Umrao Jaan in the final round. After my performance, Mudassar Khan, one of the judges on the set, hugged me and said, ‘Amazing performance”. He wished me all luck. I can never forget that moment.”
The graceful dancer is a good student too and secures around 98 per cent in her school tests. Asked about her interest in studies, Kshirabdhi said: “I love studies as much as I love dancing. Mathematics is my favourite subject and I love to play with digits. Apart from my class hours, I study one hour every day with my mother.”
Painting is one other hobby of the talkative girl. She loves to draw her favourite cartoon characters – Cinderella, Elil, Snow White, Rapunzel, Doraemon and Nobita. She has won prizes in painting competitions too.
Kshirabdhi has participated in Sony TV’s dance reality show ‘Super Dancer’ and ‘India’s Got Talent’, a reality television series on Colors channel. She has also bagged the state-level Kanya Prativa Samman in 2014 by performing modern solo dance and participating in a fashion show. She has also won awards at Itikili Mitikili, the state-level Suryakhetra Prativa Samman Samaroh, the children’s festival Rangam, and Shishu Kishore Prativa Anweshan.
FAVOURITES:
Colour: Pink
Hobbies: Watching cartoon serials, painting
TV programme: Doraemon
Foods: Omelette, lassi
Dress: Mermaid gown
Place: Home
