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Dr. Arkadev Bhattacharya
Bharatnatyam Dancer
India’s millennia-old culture and traditions are a fabric of unity, diversity,and customs. Its heritage,which is a synthesis of old wisdom and modern energy, influences people all over the world and determines their identity.
As such Indian dance, which reflects the rich diversity and spiritual core of Indian culture, is a fundamental part of Indian culture, from the exquisite movements of Bharatnatyam.
It connects people to their heritage and community by acting as a vehicle for spiritual expression, story telling, and celebration.
Indian dance styles breaks down barriers and promotes intercultural harmony and understanding, however the dying cascade of our tradition in the face of modernization is something which haunts us.
Dedicated souls like Dr. Arkadev Bhattacharya, a PhD scholar of the genre Bharatnatyam, Indian classical dancer, choreographer, mentor, groomer and practitioner since 35 years, has worked tirelessly to uplift our traditions and culture via his vigorous attempts of crowd engagement and training. He has represented our cultural essence and India as whole in more than 10+ foreign countries, propagating our lovely heritage, values and conventions. He has trained more than 5,000+ students till date and actively transcribes the theme, songs and wordings of Tamil originated Bharatnatyam into Bengali to make the people of Bengal, familiar and drawn towards the essence and benefits of Bharatnatyam
His Early Life
Dr. Arkadev Bhattacharya was born on 28th of June 1974 in the bustling yet lively city of Kolkata. Under unfortunate circumstances he lost his mother at the tender age of 15, following which he became very dearly to his father, a physics professor who solely brought him up as his only child. He completed his intermediate from Behala College in 1993, following which, inspired by Mamata Shankar male dance group and a speech by Mr. Chandrodoy Ghosh, he enrolled himself in Tanushree Shankar Dance Academy to learn the dance of Uday Shankar Style. Finding solace in Bharatnatyam after juggling between Kathak and Odissi, he went on to pursue a Diploma and M.A degree in Bharatanatyam from Rabindra Bharati University, followed by a PhD in Bharatnatyam under the able guidance of Dr. Sruti Bandyopadhyay in 2006 from the same university. His curiosity and knack for education also earned him a National Scholarship and NET in 1999 on his first attempt itself. He started his own dance institute, Niharika Centre for Performing Arts in Kolkata in 1995, to encourage the people of Bengal towards Bharatnatyam. Along with being associated with 5+ other dance academies all over India as the HOD and trainer, he has performed all over abroad representing and promoting Indian culture.
Dr. Arkadev's Journey with Niharika
Born on 28th of the sunny month of June in the calendar of 1974, Dr. Arkadev Bhattacharya was born to radiate the spark of our Indian heritage worldwide. Born into an intellectual Bengali family with his father being an astrophysicist and physics professor, young Arkadev was an excellent student from the very start of his academics.
As a result, his father expected him to establish his career in a rather notional field. However, once during his late matric years in Jadavpur Vidyapeeth, Dr. Arkadev, who was somewhat drawn towards the art of dance, was highly motivated by the speech on gender inclusivity in dance given by the legendary Mr. Chandrodoy Ghosh, husband of legendary Bengali actress Mrs. Mamata Shankar. Fuelling his inner desires, Dr. Arkadev proceeded for a Diploma in Indian Contemporary dance form from Ananda Shankar Center under the guidance of Smt. Tanusree Shankar. Embarking on his odyssey around the mid-1990s, he began his rigorous training in Bharatnatyam under Guru Khagendra Nath Barman, a journey that spanned an impressive 32 years. This foundation laid the groundwork for his profound understanding and mastery of this classical dance form as he went on to pursue an M.A. in Bharatnatyam and PhD under Dr. Sruti Bandyopadhyay from Rabindra Bharati University in 2006.
Dr. Arkadev recalls the challenges he faced in 1998 during his M.A. as the only male dancer in his group of 19 other ladies, yet with his confidence and hard work he attained 1st merit in his session. Additionally, he underwent specialized training with luminaries such as Padmabhushan Dhanajayans and Padmashree Leela Samson, augmenting his proficiency and honing his craft to perfection. His expertise does not end here as his knack for studies and wit made him clear the tough NET (UGC) exam in 1999 at one go, also attaining a National Scholarship by the Government around 2001. However, while training, he established his own dance institute named Niharika Centre for Performing Arts in 1995 to promote the essence of traditional dance within the people of Bengal. He was saddened to witness how the people of Bengal stepped back from venturing into such a realm and the detested status of Bharatnatyam. As a result, he took the first initiative for change in 1998 by being the first male Bharatnatyam dancer performing Arengtram. Witnessing his brilliance, he was invited by UNESCO to visit Germany in 2006 for a cultural exchange event.
Dr. Arkadev, being resistant, worked harder to propagate the constitution of Bharatnatyam by endowing various productions like Shabda Krida on various sound levels of footwork, Bandan to collaborate between Odissi and Bharatnatyam to name a few. He even works at a social level by training kids with special needs at The Heritage School, equipping them with self-confidence and independence, creating various workshops to assist the elderly and working class to fight anxiety and stress via the spirit of dance, and training interested future dancers. Currently, Dr. Arkadev is associated with many organizations both national and international—Kalabharati Canada and Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad to name a few. He has been the judge at many shows and institutions like DBD Zee Bangla or Balashree, heads the department of dance in 3 dance institutions, and has trained 20,000+ budding dancers of our nation. He leads his life juggling his duties as a single father after losing his wife to Covid-19.
