A candid chat with MUNMUN AHMED

Photo: Sheikh Mehedi Morshed

Renowned Kathak exponent and television personality Munmun Ahmed has many prestigious awards to her credit, including the National Award by Shishu Academy for Kathak Dance (1980), UNESCO Cultural Award (2000) and NHK Japan Award (2000). An avid performer, teacher and choreographer, she learned Kathak under the tutelage of the legendary Pandit Birju Maharaj in Delhi Kathak Kendra. She also founded Rewaz Performers' School, a pioneering dance company in Bangladesh. The artiste, who recently celebrated her birthday, will also be performing with her students in Kolkata, in honour of Pandit Birju Maharaj's 80th birth anniversary in January. The Daily Star catches up with her for an exclusive interview. 

We wish you a belated happy birthday.  How did you celebrate the day?

I cut a cake with some of my students and family members at midnight. I had to record Ayna Ghor, a dance show that I host, for Bangladesh Television, on my birthday. We also had dinner and cake with my family at my restaurant, Munmun's Kitchen, afterwards.

You recently arranged a Kathak workshop at Rewaz Performers' School, which was conducted by acclaimed dancer and choreographer from India, Madhumita Roy. How was the experience of teaming up with her for the workshop?

Madhumita and I were students of Pandit Birju Maharaj and I have known her quite closely over the years. We are seldom exposed to the new content being composed and taught by Maharaj ji in his classes in India, and so, we wanted to provide our students with updated knowledge on the evolving standards of Kathak. On that front, teaming up with Madhumita was an excellent experience and I am proud to say that the workshop was hugely successful.

Tell us about some of the recent shows that you took part in.

I recently went to a Kathak marathon in Siliguri, India, where more than a hundred dancers came under one roof, including many young artistes. Some dancers at the marathon even expressed their interest in learning Kathak from me, which was a great honour.

How would you describe your teaching philosophy for dance?

I believe that dance is not just rooted in physical movements – it is also about teamwork and spreading joy. Furthermore, an artiste's honesty and sincerity should also come across in their performances.  I always tell my students that as dancers, our true validation, first and foremost, comes through the acceptance of the audience that we perform for.

What advice would you like to give to young and aspiring dancers?

I think the young dancers today are full of talent and passion. It is heartening to see that they are determined to make their mark in the profession. I would advise them to not try too many things at once, but instead, choose one dance form and focus on excelling at it.