New Delhi: Guru Atasi Misra, a disciple of Guru Debaprashad Das Gharana, is a Delhi-based Odissi and Indian Traditional folk dancer who also excels in painting. Despite the fact that she hailed from a remote tribal area of Odissa, Bichikot Aasan Gaon in Rayagada district, she is the founder and director of Kala Kalp Sanskrutik Sansthan. It is an academy which gives training in classical dance form Odissi and Indian traditional folk dance. Painting; art and craft; and vocal music are also taught at her academy. She's also a beauty professional with 18 years of experience in skin, hair and nail.
Let's know more about her life and achievements:
Normally Brahmin families are very orthodox but Guru Atasi Misra's parents were very supportive towards her dreams. When she was a kid, her father discovered that she was keen into dancing, rhythm, singing and tapping her feet. She got full support from her dad and got trained in Odissi dance and at the age of 6. She got her first prize at an event in Allahabad, organised by the ministry of culture in junior category.
While talking to CitySpidey, she happily recalled, “I was a kid and got my first and biggest achievement of my life. At that moment, I knew what I'm capable of.” That achievement at a very young age gave wings to her dreams. After this achievement, she became a known personality in her district. She was recognised by many organisations and schools.
During her childhood, she was inspired by her mother's painting, art and craft. And she also drew inspirations from her father as he was into singing, writing poetry and dancing. She said, “I was a lucky kid to get support from both of my parents to fulfil my dreams. They had a lot of pressure from relatives to not let a girl child do all these activities.”
After completing her graduation and moving out from home, she was confused what to do next? But she never lost her hopes. She started her career from scratch because she wanted to be independent and not take any help from her father. So one of her friend introduced her to wellness and beauty as she did her course in Cosmology (beauty and wellness) with a scholarship. After completing it, she decided to become a trainer, beauty coach in World Skill Olympic and never looked back thereafter. She worked with famed beauty companies like VLCC and Lakme. She made a good career in beauty and wellness and got recognised in many other countries. Now it's been 18 years of her being a beauty professional.
She didn't stop dancing, painting either. She always wanted to work for the country and take the pride of the country. She started her own dance, music and painting academy in 2011 – Kala Kalp Sanskrutik Sansthan – where she taught Odissi and Indian traditional dance, painting and vocal music. She even taught the poor children.
Guru Atasi has performed at very eminent platforms such as the Khajuraho Festival, Chakra Dhara Festival, ICCR Bangalore etc. She showcased her talent in many countries like London, Australia, UAE and Brazil etc. With 20 years of experience in dancing coupled with 12 years of teaching experience, she still want to continue teaching and as her parents supported her in her dreams. She wanted to do the same for the children in India and across the world who wants to fulfil their dream too.
She concluded, “My life journey changed from a small village to different countries and from sitting under the trees to commuting in metros and aeroplanes. We all are talented, we just need a proper path maker who could bring out the best from us.”
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