It is said that if the intentions are steel then the walls of society’s conventions collapse like sand castles. A young artist from Kashi, the city of religion and art, made this thing true. Sometimes he heard the taunts of the society, endured ridicule, but did not let the beat of the ghunghru tied on his feet stop. He used these taunting arrows as a medium to carve out his destiny. Today, the chimes of those Ghunghrus are being heard not only in the country but even abroad. We are telling about Ashish, who lives in Kashi, whose jingle of ghunghrus now gives solace to the whole world.
Had deep love for dance since childhood
Born in a Rajput family of Banaras, Ashish was the most loved one of the family. He had a special love for dance since childhood. As soon as music was played somewhere, the desire to dance would arise within him. However, his family did not like his hobby. His grandfather did not consider dancing to be good and many times used to scold him and even beat him. Hurt by the constant opposition, Ashish even went to Vrindavan for some time, but his dedication towards dance did not diminish.
Riyaz’s journey started from the temple
Ashish Singh told in a conversation with ABP that in his childhood, he used to practice dance during bhajan-kirtan in the temple located near his house. He may not have got support from people, but he did not stop practicing for hours. From the year 2007, he started regular practice at Vyankatesh Balaji Temple in Balaghat, Varanasi. This was the place where Shehnai emperor Ustad Bismillah Khan also used to practice.
Learned the nuances of Kathak from Pandit Birju Maharaj
Ashish learned the nuances of Kathak from Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj. Under his guidance, Ashish gave a new dimension to his art. After this, she obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Kathak dance from the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, Banaras Hindu University between 2007 and 2012.
Made fun of by calling ‘Nachaniya’ and ‘Sridevi’
Ashish’s journey was not easy. He says that being a man and taking up classical dance as a career is still viewed differently in many places. When she tied ghunghrus for the first time, even her own people raised questions. In school, children used to tease her by calling her ‘Nachaniya’, while people in the neighborhood used to make fun of her by calling her ‘Sridevi’. Many times he had to hear harsh words even within the family, but Ashish did not give up and kept his dream alive.
Depth of art found in the soil of Kashi
The purity and depth of Banaras Gharana is clearly visible in Ashish’s presentation. He made hard practice his strength. Ashish, who tied heavy anklets on his feet for hours to master the beat and rhythm, believes that art has no gender, it is an expression of the soul.
The sound of Ghunghrus reached abroad
Ashish’s hard work bore fruit and he started receiving invitations from big platforms. His expressions, agility and sarcasm forced even the critics to praise him. He presented on many prestigious forums in India and also hoisted the flag of Indian culture at the international level. In the year 2015, he gave more than a dozen presentations in ‘The Second Silk Road International Art Festival’ organized in China. Earlier in the year 2010, under the direction of Pandit Birju Maharaj, he also demonstrated his art in the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. Seeing Ashish’s talent, the Government of India honored him with National Scholarship between 2010 and 2012.
Ashish is an inspiration for the youth today
The steps which were once ridiculed, have today become an inspiration for many youth. Ashish’s story proves that if the courage is strong then one day even the taunts of the society turn into applause.
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