The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Bhutanese throughout the country joined India in the celebration of her 67th Independence Day, a day of import for Bhutan and the region.
The celebrations were highlighted by the performance of world famous classical Indian dancer Uma Sharma, relatively unknown to the locals, at the RAPA hall. Bhutan is the latest entry on her long list of international performances which include countries like the USA, China, Australia and the Middle East.
Uma Sharma is a revolutionary in the Indian classical dance form ‘Kathak’. Besides reviving the dance to its former glory, she is also much celebrated for infusing a new intellectual dimension into it.
Her dance themes mostly delve into social issues, especially of the feminine. She also incorporates the works of famous poets like Tagore and Kalidas into her dances.
Recipient of the prestigious Padma Bhushan, Padma Shree, Sangeet Natak Academy Award and the Delhi Sahitya Kala Parishad Award, Uma has churned out a repertoire of innovative themed dances over the years with huge success.
Uma runs her own school of music and dance, the Bhartiya Sangeet Sadan, in Delhi, training new generations of dancers. She also sponsors students from across the globe.
The performance of a dancer of such international repute is a mark of the cultural friendship that India and Bhutan share, transcendental, by far, of regional politics.
