relève-toi et dépoussière-toi

The title of this post translates as pick yourself up and dust yourself up, the lyrics of a famous Shakira song. I have always felt that blogs should be poignantly honest and should help the blogger to express themselves. I want my blogs to help me work through my problems and experiences and in doing so perhaps help others with what they face.

So this is a dance blog and as such I shall talk about dance. I would today like to talk about a huge set-back that completely derailed me, made me question my future and my entire being. Sit back, buckle up  and we shall begin...

A few years ago the International Society for the Teachers of Dance added an Indian Classical Dance faculty to their already impressive list. The faculty conducts grade examinations in Bharatanatyam and Kathak, those being the most commonly taught forms of Indian classical dance in the UK. Sometime last year I took Grade 1 Bharatanatyam and passed with a distinction of 94%. Now I'm not saying that to boast but for context as you'll soon see. When I came back to my regular class after a two month gap the two girls at the same level as me were preparing for Grade 3, skipping Grade 2. Originally I wanted to sit both grades but in the end I just went for grade 3 with the others.

To cut a long story short I spent weeks working on my file and I attended both grade 1, 2 and 3 classes but it wasn't enough. The examiner said that my folder wasn't detailed enough, the adavus and items should have been written out with tala. I was told my knowledge of different adavus wasn't in-depth enough. I hadn't practiced enough to build up stamina and I made a lot of mistakes in the performance. My araimandi was almost non-existant towards the end of the performance. We were expecting to be given a jathi and fit an adavu to it, but we were actually given two jathis and expected to fit an adavu to it, which I think I eventually managed to do but it took a while. I do feel that some parts of the exam weren't particularly fair however I am fully aware that I was terribly underprepared and that I am entirely to blame, I was over confident.

The disastrous exam had a massive effect on me, especially because everyone knew how well I'd done at grade 1 and were all expecting the same for grade 3. it completely knocked me. I felt somewhat disgusted at myself because at that point dance was my life, it was all I thought about and I felt like I had insulted it. I was ashamed of myself for having done so badly and I just wanted to apologise to the examiner for having wasted her time. I decided I wouldn't touch dance for a while. I wouldn't watch dance videos, or listen to carnatic music, or practice. I cut myself off from dance entirely for about 2 weeks.

I'm currently in Luxembourg, I have Summer job here. I've been here a week or so over a month and I have 10 days or so left before I go home, I decided to use this time as a break from dance. Not entirely just no practice, no class, no pressure. So far I've decided a couple of things; firstly no more exams, I don't want any pressure, dance should be for enjoyment and exams don't allow me to enjoy it. Secondly, I don't want to teach dance, to teach you need to really know all the theory. Right now in my life I am content to perform, to learn items and to delve into theory as and when it comes up. Lastly, I would still like to work towards an arangetram but slowly and at my own pace. Dance isn't going anywhere, there is no need to rush.

So I'm going to get back up again, dust myself off and just enjoy dance. Dance shall be my passion, to an extent my freedom, but it is one of many things in my life and I don't want it to overtake all of those things ever again.

So welcome back to pour la joie de la danse, I shall be writing here regularly again and happy dancing!

Après tout, j'ai toujours pas de regrets.

Non, rien de rien

non, je ne regrette rien

ni le bien qu'on m'a fait

ni le mal tout ça m'est bien égal

non, rien de rien

non, je ne regrette rien

c'est payé, balayé, oublié 

je me fous du passé.

- Édith Piaf

Recently I read something that a bharatanatyam said, she said that dance is not a hobby, it is a way of life. I would in my case amend that slightly; dance is not a hobby, it is life. I do not believe that anyone is put on this earth to fly through life without any problems, we all have our own issues and own situations to deal with. My life has also had its ups and downs, and continues to do so. I am forever questioning my identity, where I belong, and that is where dance comes in. When I'm dancing it is the only time I feel truly myself, I have never once questioned why I dance. I dance because I am. With this in mind I'd like to talk about two issues in this post. Firstly, giving up the dream of dancing as a profession and how to deal with that decision. Secondly, how to stay motivated.

A few months ago I made the decision that I didn't want to dance as a profession. I was never the perfect candidate for a career in dance but there came a moment when it just seemed like the only thing that made sense, I was so determined and I really couldn't imagine anything more than dancing all day, every day. All of this changed when I went to India for the first time to study bharatanatyam. There I saw what the dance world in India is like, I saw what it takes to have dance as a profession or more specifically, what it takes to have Indian classical dance as a profession. I saw young brides toiling away everyday in dance class only to remain eternally under the feet of their Guru. There was never any hope for independence or freedom. 

I also witnessed the infighting and the clambering over one another for attention. I strongly and very truly believe that being an Indian classical dancer is a way of life. I believe that it is our duty to embrace Indian classical culture. The clothes, the values, the traditions. But I saw all of those values brushed under the rug. The dancers I saw hated each other, it was no longer simply about the dance. I also sat, spellbound, through countless performances. I was in awe of what I saw, the technique, the emotion, the pure love only to find at the end that half the audience were endlessly complaining about how they had seen far better dancers and that today's dancers are simply mediocre. 

I do not ever want my dance to become a burden. I do not ever want to stop enjoying dance for the sake of dance. I also do not wish to feel trapped or undervalued by the dance world. So I decided that a career in dance was not something I really wanted. But how do you deal with making a decision like that? No matter how free it feels to have no pressure when you dance, for me it still feels like I have let something very dear to me go. I really did want a career in dance, I really did want to dance professionally but that is in the past. Moving on is extremely difficult, when you're surrounded by documentaries and videos of dance schools and dance dreams, it can make you feel cut off and disappointed in yourself. There is no trick to getting past this feeling. You just have to realise, slowly, that this is your life and you have to live it in a way that will make you happy. It also takes a while to believe that giving up the idea of dance as a career doesn't mean you're giving up dancing. 

So what do I have to say about motivation? Well, we all know that every dancer comes to a point in their lives when they question dance but what happens when you have various styles of dance to choose from and you are lacking motivation in only one? I'm at that point at the moment. I really want to be passionate about one of my forms of dance but I'm struggling, I feel like I've lost my mojo as it were. It just doesn't excite me like it used to, I feel so completely lost all the time. In my head I'm just fumbling around in the dark. It's like I feel free and trapped at the same time. So how do I move on? Well I'm working on that. Do I leave it completely and focus on something else or do I persevere to find the spark I once had those years ago? For now I'm persevering. If India taught me one thing, it is that I have a innate ability to persevere, I often feel that simply sticking with things is the only way to go on. I must keep pushing if only for the hope that the spark will return, if I give up I kill that hope.

Life.

How do we as dancers wake up every day and keep going? How is it that with so many classical dancers equal to the seven wonders of the world we still find motivation to better ourselves each day? Well, here is a little of my story and the things I've been thinking about recently.

About a month ago I returned home to the UK after two months of studying bharatanatyam in India. I won't name the school or the Guru but I will say that I am now able to see that it was a bad experience on the whole. I learned so much about dance, and for that reason alone I don't regret going, but I was so close to being torn away from dance forever. I was emotionally crushed, beaten, humiliated and hurt. I was at the bottom of the pile and at my lowest. When I got back I didn't dance for a week. It's been a month now and yet I still have flashbacks to the feelings of loneliness and despair. I'm not going to go into detail here about what I learnt from the experience, because that's not what this post is about.

Since coming back I've returned to class and seen how although my technique has improved, I haven't really gotten to where I hoped I would. My first class back threw me straight back to the bottom of that pile in India because I was just so frustrated with myself, because everyone here has this image that you go to India and you come back a professional classical dancer, and I didn't. I also returned to my kathak class today, I haven't practised kathak in almost 3 months, so I wasn't expecting the most amazing class but yet again it was like walking into a wall. I've gone back, I'm not where I was and everyone around me has kept on moving up.

I think that one of the hardest things I face as a dancer is feeling like everyone around me is constantly moving and I'm just there static, in the same place I've been in for years. I realise now that the only way I can move anywhere is to take things into my own hands. How do I explain what I mean by that...

Let me start by saying that I am completely against the method of teaching Indian classical dance that I have seen in India. I don't care how well it works, I shall never agree with teaching anything through fear. I also disagree with this idea that a lot of Indian Gurus seem to have of you constantly being under their umbrella, never truly independent. I respect and love my teachers here in the UK, yes they are my Gurus, they teach me life lessons not just dance but they also don't clip my wings. I can be a dancer independently and I think I have to be. If I want to get where I want to then I have to practise myself, I have to motivate myself. I have to revise and re-learn and start again, I have to do it. No-one else will make me. This my dance story to write, no-one else's.

I've also realised, finally, that being part Pakistani does not give me a personal link to Indian classical dance. Indian classical dance found me, it has become a part of my life in the same way breathing has always been a part of my life. I cannot live without it but I am not Indian, and it does not allow me to keep my culture alive because it is not my culture. It does,  however, allow me to live, breathe and smile. Indian classical dance is a part of me not for it's stories of India but for it's stories of strength, of survival, of life.

So again I find myself, by some miracle, able to motivate myself to continue. I have a bunch of performances coming up and I am excited for them. I will enjoy them because I refuse to allow bad experiences and my own insecurities get the better of me. My araimandi might not be perfect, my footwork might not be fast enough, my spins may lack clarity, BUT, I have time. In time I will work on all of these imperfections because if I don't I shall never be able to hold my head high. I may not be perfect but I will perform to the best of my abilities because what everyone seemed to have forgotten where I was in India, is that dance is first and foremost a form of enjoyment and beauty for those watching. The natya veda was created for the enjoyment of the senses, not the enjoyment of perfectionists. Dance will always be beautiful so long as it brings joy, hope and inspiration to those watching it. That should be our goal as dancers. To make the world a better place through our art. 

A Matter of Dance

Hey there guys,
So I have quite an interesting post in the making but in the meantime I thought I'd write about something a little closer to home. So here's to hoping some of you can be inspired by this post.

Recently I've been watching an Australian teen drama called Dance Academy, I'm sure if you're a ballet or contemporary dancer you'll have heard of it. It has got me thinking about a lot of things and has finally motivated me to put in a good three hours of practice at least everyday. The thing that glares out at me from the series and also from all films or series based in a ballet school is the competition and associated with that the feeling of not being good enough.

I think as dancers we are all fighting this feeling of just not being the best, it's something that I think we have to fight every day. It's part of being a dancer. I often find myself going to dance performances and being in total awe and admiration of the performer but at the same time there's this black cloud pushing its way in to say "there's no way you'll ever be as good as that." and it's not just at performances but in class too. The thing is I don't believe we actually have anything against our peers other than selfish human jealousy.

I've found my own way of dealing with this, the world of dance and in all honesty I'm still working on perfecting it. Whenever I feel like I'm not good enough and am never going to be, whenever I feel like there is no point and I should just give up, I ask myself "why do you dance?" and therein lies my salvation. I don't dance to be the best, I don't dance for anyone else, I don't even dance because it's necessarily something I have a rare talent for (it's not trust me! If there's one thing Indian classical dance teaches you it's to be humble!) I dance for two reasons. Firstly, quite simply because I love it and my life would be incomplete if I didn't dance. Secondly, I dance for God, as a form of worship. As a Sikh I have always found it unbelievably difficult to find stories about Lord Vishnu or Lord Ganesh spiritual but I am starting to realise that it is my belief as a Sikh that there is only one God and therefore I dance for that one God.

Yes, the arimandi is painful and yes, the tatkar does make me want to collapse in a heap but I see dance as a way of bettering myself. As my Kathak Guru always says "no pain no gain".

So I shall leave you to ponder and with a little something I wrote about Shiva Nataraja, Lord of dance.

The Nataraja is not simply a God but represents something of our innermost being, our own spiritual connection to ourselves.

Student Voices (attitudes to learning Bharatanatyam in England)

Hello! Namaste! Nomoshkar! and every other greeting!
I know it's been way too long since I posted and I apologise profusely for that but I'm back!

Today I bring you a post that has been long in the making. It is a little glimpse into the world of learning Bharatanatyam in England and so I introduce you to four girls; Kaushika, Parvatee, Hamsini and Meghana. Find yourself a comfortable seat, a cup of chai and listen to their stories in this wonderful conversation I had with them...

Moi: Tell me a little about yourselves

Kaushika: My name is Kaushika and I'm 14 years of age. I was born into a full and full Tamil family from Chennai but I've been living in England for most of my life and for all of my dancing life! I've been dancing since I was around 6 and it has always been something I've loved doing. I've had many hobbies which I've let go of, mainly because I've lost interest but Bharatanatyam has kept me going!
Parvatee:  I am Parvatee, and I am 18 years old. I am a Hindu and my parents come from an island called Mauritius which is located in the Indian Ocean, to the East of Madagascar. I actually started learning Bharatnatyam at the age of 12 in my home town, we touched slightly on the theory but focused mainly on the dance. Unfortunately my dance teacher left for Australia. I came across a dance school in Reading which taught both the theoretical and practical aspects of Bharatanatyam. I started in November 2010. I didn't actually do any performances until September of 2011 as I didn’t have my Bharatanatyam outfit!
Hamsini: I am 16 years old and I first started Bharatanatyam when I was 8. I am not an expert at it though as I had to constantly start from the beginning quite often.
Meghana: Hello my name is Meghana and I am 14 years old. I was born in America and raised in India. I began learning Bharatanatyam when I was around 7 in India. When we moved to England I started to learn Bharatnatyam again. I only started studying for the grades about two years ago.

Moi: Why did you start studying Bharatanatyam?

Kaushika: To be honest I started Bharatanatyam because my parents did not want me to lose out on Indian culture (also why I do Carnatic singing).
Parvatee: I didn't know there were such classical dances at such a young age. My Mum knew about them and she asked me if I would like to learn Bharatanatyam as she had always wanted to learn it herself but never had the chance. My Mum and I researched Bharatanatyam and we finally found someone who had connections with the Indian society and she introduced us to the dance teacher. Later on we found out about Kalakunj through one of my old dance friends. Once I found out about Bharatanatyam and what it was, I was 100% enthusiastic about learning it, as it is a dance performed religiously and towards the Gods (I am quite religious). That did however mean giving up the sports I did because the days clashed and I was very sporty.
Hamsini: When I was around 8 I went to the temple to watch a Bharatanatyam performance with my Grandma. The dance was absolutely amazing and from that moment on I knew I wanted to keep dancing and hopefully become a dancer someday.
Meghana: I started Bharatanatyam because I really enjoyed watching others perform it. It was also very good practice for role playing which I really like doing.

Moi: What does Bharatanatyam mean to you?

Kaushika: Obviously when I started Bharatanatyam I was very young and I did not know how it started and the stories behind the art form however, as I grew older, I began to research into the history of Bharatanatyam and I realised how meaningful and how much beauty it holds.
Parvatee: Bharatnatyam means the world to me! It is one of the many things that I do that holds such importance in my life. Now that’s a bit cheesy but it’s true! I have learnt a lot of things and met new friends through Bharatanatyam. It’s an art which requires both dance and drama as well as some singing, though I'm not so keen on the singing bit.
Hamsini: My absolute love for dancing means that Bhartanatyam is a huge deal for me. It's my favourite hobby and would also look really good on my future university application.
Meghana: Bharatanatyam has played a significant role in my life as it has showed me that I can go on stage and not be afraid or shy. It has also showed me that I can do anything if I put my mind to it. Moreover, it also reminds me of India and the days when I lived there.

Moi: Do you think being a non-resident Indian makes you view/experience Bharatanatyam differently?

Kaushika: Because we are in England I think there is a definite difference in our way of dance! However, because of the way we have been taught, the dance still keeps its originality because many of the dances have been choreographed by our Guru.
Parvatee: Nope, I view and perform Bharatanatyam in probably the same way as Indians do. I guess it’s hard to explain but I think being in a certain country does weaken or strengthen your views. I guess it’s how you take it as a dancer and a student.
Hamsini: I find that being a non-resident Indian actually makes you follow and respect the culture and dance more than Indians living in India do. This is because we view it as a chance to get closer to our roots while Indians in India actually try to follow Western habits and try to drift away from the Indian culture.
Meghana: I don't think the fact that you don't live in India necessarily has an effect because as long as you believe in the religion you will still carry the same emotion as someone living in India.

Moi: I have a theory that non-Hindus lose a slight connection with the dance form, would you agree with this? Why?

Kaushika: I think that if you are truly in love with dance then your passion for it will overrule the fact that Bharatanatyam is about Hindu mythology. I believe that even if you aren't Hindu but are extremely passionate, it will connect you immediately to the dance and will overwhelm you without needing any spiritual attachment.
Parvatee: Actually I am undecided. It can go both ways. Non- Hindus may lose a slight connection as they won’t understand (yet) the Gods and the scriptures of Hinduism. This can be a setback, nevertheless they could always read up about and learn to understand Hinduism. Learn a bit more so that they can make up for the lost knowledge so to speak. If they know the stories and the morals they might learn and perform with a stronger connection. It depends on the person. I also think a Non-Hindu could be one of the best Bharatanatyam dancers, however the Hindu performers would be slightly ahead of the game as they would have more knowledge thus more connection.
Hamsini: I do. As non-Hindus in general (there are exceptions of course) don't understand our language or religion as well and so don't understand our faith in the gods we worship when dancing like we do.
Meghana: Yes, I would agree with this because they would not feel the story behind each dance as much as someone who believes in the story.

Moi: Is Bharatanatyam spiritual for you?

Kaushika: For me, I value the dance form for its spiritual qualities and I do believe it is a way to connect to the Gods. Particularly as many dances are to do with Shiva and the Thandavam, I do believe that Bharatanatyam is a spiritually powerful dance.
Parvatee: I guess so. All Bharatanatyam dances are in reference to the Gods; all the pieces I have learnt refer to the Gods at some stage. I guess this dance form is a greeting to the Gods and by performing the dance it feels like I am performing to the Gods, so I guess it is spiritual for me.
Hamsini: I feel as if I am dancing in front of God when I'm on stage, so yes it is. Some also say it is supposed to be spiritual as it is a form of meditation.
Meghana: Bharatanatyam is kind of spiritual because each dance depicts a different Hindu myth and the dancers goal is to convey this story to the audience. This is spiritual because the dancer has to play the characters (Gods and Goddesses) and to do this you need to understand the spiritual side of things.

Moi: Kaushika I know you’re Tamil, but do the rest of you feel that not being Tamil changes the way you experience Bharatanatyam?

Parvatee: No because Bharatanatyam is a dance towards the Hindu Gods and I think that Hindus (more than non-Hindus as they -it's complicated- probably do not feel as strong performing the dance in respect to the Gods) from all over the world who are strong believers will not have any change in experience. There might be people who are Tamil but who are not religious as opposed to people who are not Tamil and religious. I think it depends on whether you are a strong believer of Hinduism (though not always) that changes the way a person experiences Bharatanatyam. However Non-Hindus can also perform to the highest standards if they put their heart and soul into it!
Hamsini: I think being Tamil has nothing to do with Bharatanatyam except that the dance form originated in Chennai. So I don't think it changes the experience of dancing if you're not Tamil.
Meghana: No, I don't think not being Tamil changes anything.

Moi: Do you have any aspirations to take Bharatanatyam on as a full or part-time career?

Kaushika: As well as loving dance, I think that I could consider it a part-time job in the future if I still have a love for Bharatanatyam then, which I hope to have.
Parvatee: Well I do hope that I can carry it on as a part- time career. I would love to teach this art form and introduce it to others who do not have a special hobby.
Hamsini: No I don't think I could, however I would love to!
Meghana: I don't think I will take Bharatanatyam on as a job but I would like to continue it as a hobby.

Moi: Would you like to one day do an Arangetram?

Kaushika: Yes, I would like to do an Arangetram in the future because I'd like to see it as a way of me completing my student-hood as a Bharatanatyam dancer. I'd also like to think of it as a way of introducing myself as a dancer to the dance community (however big or small it is, depending on where you I live.)
Parvatee: I would love to! That would be pretty awesome, being introduced to the public as a Bharatanatyam dancer and a student of Kalakunj.
Hamsini: No
Meghana: I don't have a set goal to do a Arangetram.

Moi: How do you see the future of Bharatanatyam here in the UK? 

Kaushika: I see the future for Bharatanatyam in England as a bright one with more and more people from different backgrounds and cultures starting to take on the art form. I'm sure that if this popularity continues to grow Bharatanatyam can be appreciated for its true beauty and can be given full credit as an ancient dance style which I think it deserves.
Parvatee: Well Bharatanatyam is the most practised Indian Classical dance worldwide, and in the UK there are more and more children and adults who want to learn Bharatanatyam, (and of course who want to have such an amazing outfit to wear!) So I think in the near future Bharatanatyam will be highly popular in the UK.
Hamsini: It might become more popular with the British but it might also grow more popular with the Indian population in the UK.
Meghana: I think Bharatanatyam will definitely grow and more people will become interested in this form.of dance.

I would like to thank Kaushika, Parvatee, Hamsini and Meghana for this wonderful insight into their lives as Bharatanatyam students. I am constantly amazed at how far Indian classical dance travels. Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi and Odissi are all widely taught in England. Did you know that there is a large community of Kuchipudi dancers in Russia and Ukraine? Or that Kathak has reached as far as France and China? Indian classical dance in all its forms has no boundaries, a testament to its beauty and universal ability to bring joy.

[Kaushika, Parvatee, Hamsini, Meghana and I are all disciples of Ananya Chatterjee who runs Kalakunj. She is herself a disciple of Smt. Thankamani Kutty of Kalamandalam Kolkata.]

The Guide to Dance Hair for Non-Black Hair - Part III

Here's part III of my Guide to Dance Hair for Non-Black Hair =D Don't forget to check out Part II !

This is a style originally intended for Kathak. To my knowledge it's not very often used for Kathak and I've only occasionally seen it used by dancers from Jaipur Gharana. It is quite simple in reality; it involves a bun and a plait and that's it!

I began by simply dividing the hair in two and tying the first half into a ponytail, creating a half-pony. 

I then used a doughnut to make this into a bun (check out my Le Beignet. post on how to use a hair doughnut)...

...and secured it with a hairnet.

You can see that the bun isn't too high up on the head, this is because I did it with Kathak in mind rather than Bharatanatyam.

I've added a mix of ornaments here to substitute not having any that were meant for dance. Here I've used plastic flowers, a brooch and an earring.  

This is the final product, but where did the long red thing come from I hear you ask... sorry! I forgot to take pictures of that stage! All I did was plait a paranda in to the second half of the hair and then wrapped the flowers around the plait. There are some links on how to tie a paranda on my That long thing with tassels post.

As you can see the lower bun creates a look more suited for Kathak, naturally the fringe would normally need to be pinned or gelled back.

Many Kathak dancers who use this style pin the plait to their dresses so it hangs at the front. 

This same style can very easily be used for Bharatanatyam if you tie the bun higher and add a few more flowers. 

The Guide to Dance Hair for Non-Black Hair - Part II

Welcome to Part II of dance hair for non-black hair! Don't forget to check out Part I!

This is a very simple style using a paranda, to learn how to put in a paranda check out my That long thing with tassels. post. The paranda is used by a lot of schools of Kathak, especially in Pakistan. The paranda can be used with a fake hair extension but it generally acts as a hair extension in itself. It can be tied to the back of the dress but I have seen it left loose during performances too. Flowers can be added as per preference, generally speaking flowers are kept to a minimum for Kathak, usually just a few elegant strings of jasmine flowers. On hair that isn't black the traditional hair extensions plaited in for dance aren't a possibility and here's why...

It doesn't look natural does it? The paranda however is not made of hair, it's made of thread and so it isn't supposed to look natural, it's supposed to be seen as a hair accessory and so can be used in any colour hair. 

I have found that a French plait keeps the hair much neater and more compact when dancing. My Kathak Guru has always told my classmates to do a French plait and it does work better. The hair I was working with here was extremely shiny and slippery and so doing a tight French plait was almost impossible, it would work much better if the hair was wet (wet not damp). In the photo above I tied it where I added the paranda so you can see. You can add the paranda right at the beginning of the French plait but it is a lot harder. Again please check out my blog from June "That long thing with tassels." for all the YouTube links to tying a paranda. If you don't know how to do a French plait (which as a Kathak dancer you really ought to...) here's a link, How to: Basic French Braid

This is the finished product, without flowers. For dance the fringe would obviously need to be pinned back. I have shown it here over the shoulder because many Kathak dancers pin it over the shoulder so that it can be seen from the front. I have used a gold coloured paranda here which are actually quite hard to find, generally they are black, but as you can see most of the paranda is covered by the hair. It would still look fine if it was black because you can see quite clearly that it is a hair accessory. One thing that is perhaps open for discussion is how to tie the end of the paranda. There are two options as far as I know; the first is a hair band as I have used here but this is problematic because it takes time to get all the tassels through it each time whilst being careful not to damage them and they will inevitably get damaged but it is an easy and quick method. The other option is getting some black embroidery thread and winding it round and round the end of the paranda plait and then knotting, this is fiddly and the black thread is not always re-usable if you make the knot too tight. So it's problematic in general but nothing beautiful is ever without problems right?

This is what it would look like with flowers. Ideally these would be longer strings of flowers and would be fresh jasmine blossoms, but alas we're not in India so I shall have to settle with these plastic flowers. Some schools of Kathak put the flowers higher up on the head but I think it looks too much like Bharatanatyam when done like that, putting them lower down makes it look more graceful and subtle in my opinion. Of course as with all hair posts I write, none of these girls are actually dancers and so I haven't used as many pins as perhaps necessary for dance or made the front as neat and secure as would be needed, this is just to inspire :)

Stay tuned for part III