Software Engineer By Degree, Bharatanatyam Star By Destiny: Parama Roy Bardhan Captivates The World

Doing B. Tech in Software Engineering and settling in USA after marriage could not stopped her passion for Indian classical dancing. Parama Roy Bardhan, born and brought up in Khardah, the suburb area of Kolkata is working tirelessly for making Indian classical dance popular in Atlanta, GA.

A Bharatanatyam dancer and performer in international stages with a career spanning about 17 years, her journey began at the age of four when she started on classical dance training. Like others, she continued her mainstream education and completed B. Tech degree and started work as a Software Engineer.

She settled in the Atlanta, USA after marriage and decided to revive her dance career. She has been performing as a full-fledged Indian classical dancer for the past half decade. Roy Bardhan initially showcased her talents within the Indian community and later spread herself to reach the multicultural cross-community stages in the United States. She said, “I questioned myself that why the art forms are not showcased on American stages outside Indian community? I took the challenge.” She started to find proper stage to perform. Her initiative led her to perform at the stage like Johns Creek International Festival and Cob International Festival, where she represented India with a captivating ‘Thillana’, winning the admiration of a diverse American audience. Her photos on stage were featured in Appen Media, a local newspaper and on the first page of prestigious Marietta Daily Journal respectively. Speaking of her performance she said, “My performances were highly appreciated by the audience from various communities in the USA. They were amazed by how an Indian classical dancer could perform solo on such a large stage.”

But it was not a smooth journey at all. In the early stage in Atlanta she was demoralized badly.

Despite her talent being appreciated by judges and the audience as well at a zonal competition for professionals, she faced the disappointment for not being declared the winner> She said, it happened due to perceived political influences within the organizing committee.

This failure motivated Parama to seek broader and higher-level platforms to showcase her talent in Bharatnatyam. She began her journey of applying to national and international level competitions and festivals organized by Indian cultural council, the Australian Council, and the US Art Council. She proved her decision to compete on the broader stages was right. It led her to increase recognition and prestigious awards from these reputed art councils, helping her to overcome the challenges she initially faced.

Roy Bardhan’s journey with Indian classical dance abroad has been marked by remarkable achievements and recognitions. She not only captivates audiences on both Indian and American stages but imparts her knowledge to students by demonstrating the intricacies of Indian Classical Dance in schools as well. She has been invited to schools to demonstrate Indian Classical Dance for students, too. She has ventured into choreography, curating performances that have received high praise within the Indian community.

Her excellence was further affirmed when she received the Best Traditional Dancer in the Professional category award from the Australian Cultural Heritage. She is going to perform in Greece this month. During puja, she will perform Chitrangada, a dance-drama by Rabindranath Tagore based on a small part of the epic Mahabharata organized by the cultural group Purbasha, a Bengali organization in Atlanta.

Roy Bardhan’s future plans are centered to her passion for spreading the beauty of Indian classical dance to diverse global communities. Her approach involves continuous learning, teaching, and of course, performing.

One of her immediate goals is to establish her own dance school where she can inspire and instruct Bharatanatyam. She aspires to take her performances to international stages, embarking on tours that will showcase this timeless dance form to the world. her vision revolves around the global promotion and preservation of Indian classical dance, ensuring its enduring legacy and appreciation across borders.