Chapter 7: Bridges

The author was not comfortable with the passion of her mother to make her a dancer. She says that her inborn ability to dance was noticed by her mother. The mother of the author was motivated by this to make her a dancer. She says that her mother’s interest in making her a dancer was ignited by the film industry. The author says that she was not interested in being a dancer and explains the trouble she faced while travelling to the dance teacher’s house. She felt as if she was forced to learn dance and that it was thrust on her.

When she was sent to study at Queen Mary’s College in Lahore, at first, she thought that she would not have to learn dance. She thinks it unfortunate that a dance teacher, Radhelal Misra, was sent with her by her mother. In this way, the author did not have a good experience with the passion of her mother to make her a dancer.

The author learnt many lessons about life in her younger days, and she carried them with her into her adult life. She relates an incident when she stayed in a sprawling house in Delhi that was allotted to her father, who was an engineer. Liaquat Ali, who later became the Prime Minister of Pakistan,  was their neighbour. One day, she and her brother were caught by his gardener while picking guavas from his tree. They were not punished by Liaquat Ali but got an open invitation from him to pick the fruits when they wanted. She says that it was one of the first lessons in the games which the politicians play.

She was able to learn the importance of discipline at Queen Mary’s College in Lahore. She trusts that following discipline in a daily routine will bring discipline in thinking. She learnt the pangs of hunger when her mother died, which is highlighted in her work. The author was able to understand the nature of the conflict that she dealt with in a play known as Duvidha.

The author could learn to distinguish between sentimentality and sensitivity. She created a piece known as Panch Paras, five senses, in her adult days to explore this realm. She relates how she learnt a lesson from Ram Gopal that before we begin to experiment, we should perfect the technique.

By touring with Ram Gopal, Kumudini was able to learn about her own personality.

The news of Kumudini’s mother’s death was not given to her directly by the school principal where she was studying that time. She was informed that she should go home as her mother was sick. She knew about her mother’s death only when she reached home. At that time, she was just 14 years old. She stood with her hands hanging loose from her body and feeling helpless in this world. She felt hungry but was not able to express it to anyone. She was scared of appearing greedy.

In Duvidha or conflict, the plight of a woman from the middle class who is chained to the  traditions of Indian life is examined by Kumudini. In Atah Kim, the concept of the desire for power is explored by the author. She explores spiritual life in Panch Paras.

Kumudini Lakhia described her guru Ramgopal’s influence on her intensely. She says that Ram Gopal had a fetish for perfection of line and was a strict disciplinarian. The author was influenced by this and tried to convey this lesson to her students also. She explains how her tour with Ram Gopal helped her to delve deeper into her own personality.