A truly beautiful woman is one who is beautiful inside out. And Guwahati-based dentist Lima Das, who is internationally acknowledged for her stellar contributions to the Assamese film industry is a glowing example. Be it a casual conversation or be it a serious exchange on various subjects, her empathetic nature comes forth.
Before becoming a doctor or an actor Lima who is now in her early forties was already a nuanced classical dancer. Her journey really started when she was a little girl of 8 years. Her mother Mridula Das is a seasoned and popular singer. Being a trained classical vocalist and a recipient of the prestigious Shilpi Bota it was natural for her mother to encourage Lima to pursue singing. However, even at that tender age Lima knew that her passion and calling was dance.
In the year 1986 she started learning Odissi (also referred to as Orissi in older literature) under Sangeeta Hazarika, who is a maestro in her own right. "I distinctly remember how I was always very excited to attend my dance classes twice in a week. And I credit my guru Sangeeta Hazarika for this enthusiasm because she was very affable and nurturing. Along with training me and her other students on the technicalities of the dance form she was an unfailing mentor to all of us. This mentorship is very vital for any aspiring artist," shares Lima.
At this stage of her narration one automatically realises that affection, encouragement and understanding are some imperatives that define any artist who is true to his/her art form. And these imperatives need to be present in the home environment too particularly when the artist is at a budding stage. Lima shares that although her mother wanted her to train in vocals she encouraged her unflinchingly in her journey as a dancer. Also Lima says that she learnt music first from her mother and later completed the course of Hindustani music from Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth Lucknow (only to fulfill her mother's desire). She acknowledges that this introduction to music helped her shape up as a dancer in later years.
Lima did her first public dance performance (Mancha Pravesh) when she was in her tenth standard. "This was as an Odissi dancer," she shares. But today she is more acknowledged and known as a Sattriya dancer. So why did this shift happen?
"Well Sattriya is the eight classical dance form of India. Although I love Odissi equally I eventually realised that I harboured a natural and probably stronger inclination towards Sattriya. Hailing from this state, I could relate to the rhythms of the khol and music more than the Odissi mardal and music," she states and goes on to add, " I also thought that since Sattriya resonates with the traditions and folklore of my own state I have a responsibility in terms of furthering this art form actively."
And when did this shift happen? "Actually my journey does not have any water tight compartments and in a way everything has happened seamlessly in its own predestined time," says Lima. She says that along with dance she was conscientious about her studies too and invested similar dedication into it. "Since my father was a doctor I wanted to become a doctor professionally and chose dentistry. I knew all along that dance will remain with me (as an active pursuit) throughout my life but I had to have a full-fledged career too. Little did I know then that one day I will have to juggle three vocations –dentistry, dance and acting. Anyhow, given this understanding I had to sometimes alternate my focus between dance and academics. In the early years of 2000 I finished my Masters in conservative dentistry and endodontics and later joined as a lecturer in the Regional Dental College, Guwahati. I concentrated mostly on academics till then. I must say that I had started my formal training in Sattriya before this period but was fairly inconsistent in my practice owing to other commitments," Lima answers.
She goes on to state that the turning point of her life came when she met her guru Padma Sri awardee Jatin Goswami (who is also a fellow of the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi) on his 75th birthday celebration in 2012. "He insisted that I make a comeback to Sattriya. And since then, Sattriya has been my identity," Lima states.
This second innings of her dance life was clearly interesting and replete with a lot of fresh learnings. "For one owing to advancements in technology the option of rehearsing and learning through recorded music was much more. This obviously translated to more exposure. Also the 600 year old tradition of Sattriya started witnessing a sort of renaissance in terms of choreography. While earlier only Ram and Krishna were mirrored through the artform, at this point of time experiments had started in terms of mirroring other mythological characters like Draupadi, Surpanakha and Shikhandhi. Also dance festivals started proliferating around this time. I was happy to be part of all these changes. I have participated in the Konark Dance Festival organised by the Government of Orissa, Nishagandhi Festival organised by the Government of Kerala and also in the Konark Dance and Music Festival that is held in Orissa," she elaborates.
Since 2001, Lima has been a graded artist of Sattriya and Odissi of Doordarshan Kendra Guwahati. She has received the India International Dance Festival Award for Sattriya in Bhubaneshwar in 2015 and has been conferred the titles 'Laasya Nritya Bharati' at Chennai in April 2016 and 'Nritya Vilasini' at Bhillai in May 2016.
Finally Lima's journey of dance led her to the world of cinema. "In 2015 I had actually been mesmerised with the trailer of Kothanodi, a film written and directed by Bhaskar Hazarika. I had also attended a ten day workshop by Seema Biswas, a veteran actress. The film stayed with me at many levels and I realised that dance and acting (at one intrinsic level) is all about an unrelenting attempt that envisages comprehending the complicated emotional and psychological dynamics that make human life. I had a premonition of doing an art film too and eventually as if predestined by the cosmos Bhaskar Hazarika approached me to play the lead for Aamis," she sums.
Aamis ofcourse brought Lima to the public limelight like never before. She was nominated for best actress in the Tribeca Film Festival in New York and was also nominated for the National Award in 2019. Incidentally in this very year she received the best actress (for her role in Aamis) in the Singapore South Asian International Film Festival.
Despite her lofty credentials in dance and acting, Lima (who is also a theatre artist who has acted in both English and Assamese plays) is a grounded and very humble woman. "At a personal level I believe that the biggest gift of both my crafts has been my ability to navigate the often unprecedented complexities of life with a sense of composure and peace. Art indeed translates to a veritable succor for the practitioner and is a gift of the higher power. As artists it is important to understand this and always strive to leverage the art form for the betterment of the people around you and the society at large. This is my consistent endeavour and I hope to be remembered for this forever," smiles Lima Das.
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