CULTURAL VOYAGE
Dancing Aryan
If there is one thing that can link Germany to India it must be the Aryan connection.
In fact, this has brought a German lady to India chasing her passion for Indian dance
and music. Sabyasachi Bhattacharjee caught up with Frau Erika Ingrid Nandi on her
maiden visit to Arunachal Pradesh and reveals the pride that makes this woman more
Indian than many.
W
hat does it take to be a name
to reckon with? Is it sheer
hard work, inborn talent or
never-ending perseverance?
It’s a mixture of all rolled into one,
says Erika Ingrid Nandi, a danseuse
from Germany, in her early 60s, who has
carved out her niche in oriental dance
— both classical and folk.
The tale is long. It goes back to the
late 50s. In her early teens, unlike girls
of her age, she was not into playing
around. She was more occupied with
singing and dance.
How did it all begin? “It’s a long sto-
ry. My penchant for music grew seeing
my grand-father, late Gustav Marbach,
perform at concerts in Kiel, a suburb in
North West Germany. He used to play
violin and piano. His was a great influ-
ence on me.”
All this happened before she com-
pleted her high school in 1964. Though,
she found stiff opposition in her father,
she came up trumps fighting against all
odds. “I got tough resistance from my
father as he was opposed to my idea of
taking to dance. But, my mother was
very supportive,” says Erika.
What was the turning point in her
life? One little incident caused a com-
plete turnaround. She had several chanc-
es to watch performances of as eminent
danseuses as Yamini Krishnamurthy,
Sonal Man Singh and Mrinalini Sarab-
hai. “In the mid 60s, I had the good for-
tune of seeing Indian celebrities on stage.
At that time, a number of cultural shows
used to be arranged in Kiel, Germany,
under the cultural exchange programme
Erika Ingrid Nandi in one of her dance postures.
between the two countries. On one such
48 August 08
occasion, I was fortunate to have got an
autograph of Sonal Man Singh, signed
with her eyeliner in the absence of a pen
at that moment. I still savour it.”
What made her fall for Indian music?
“Of course, it was the similarity between
the cultures of two countries attributable
to Aryan origin. I was attracted to Asian
music, precisely Indian, for Aryan con-
nection. Post-World War II, German
culture was losing its essence due to the
influence by a fragment of American-
ized culture. I also relished African mu-
sic—especially the big drums.”
As an 11-year old, she was admit-
ted to a ballet school in Kiel, bordering
Denmark. It was the beginning of a long
sojourn. But, unfortunately, she had to
opt out of the school, because of stiff re-
sistance from her father, Gustav Sander,
a government employee.
“After three years, I had a sudden
break in taking dancing lessons. My fa-
ther stopped me from going to school.
But, I found an ally in my mother, who
always backed me up. Besides being a
flute player, she was a singer too. I could
only continue due to total support from
her,” she asserts.
After passing out of school, Erika
chose a technical course to make a de-
cent living. To pursue her “first love”,
she had opted for this as the best way
out. “As my father stopped supporting
STATE/ARUNACHAL PRADESH
me, I had to go all out to continue with
my passion.”
At 22, she decided to come to India,
the country of her dreams. At that time,
she found her “love match” in Simanta
Nandi, a mechanical engineer by profes-
sion. Simanta was doing his practical
training in Kiel to pursue his career in
mechanical engineering.
“Oh! Give me a home where the
buffaloes roam. I was the only child
of my parents. After initial resistance,
they finally agreed. I always thought of
enough space in my spouse and I found
the one in Simanta,” she adds, logically,
to endorse her choice.
How did love bloom between the
two? Love blossomed between the two
Aryans through philately only. It sounds
strange, but it is true. “Sometimes,
strange things do happen in life. We met
each other in Kiel. Our common interest
in the collection of stamps bonded us.
Besides, he was also a great support to
my passion — music,” a tenderly Erika,
mother of two, Sudip and Shikha, says.
With a bagful of dreams in her bag-
gage, she stepped into India in January,
1969. She was driven to the home of
her parents-in-law in Dhubri, Assam. To
bring her dream and passion on track,
she got the backing of her in-laws. This
was the beginning of her long journey.
How did the doors open up to her?
After watching Assamese belles dancing
during Bihu on a number of occasions,
she developed an interest in it. And,
soon, she started taking dance lessons.
Offers started to pour in, as she gained
perfect mastery over the art. “The hues
and thrills associated with Bihu enliv-
ened me. I was mesmerized by its spar-
kle and exuberance, resembling ballet.
When I received a call from Guwahati to
participate in a contest, I was suffering
from jaundice. Still, I decided to give it a
go, as I didn’t want to miss the opportu-
nity coming my way. I performed there
and even, won the top prize. From then
on, I didn’t look back,” a spirited Erica
says.
Following the successful sojourn
with Bihu, she hopped from folk to a
classical form, Kathak, the most ancient
Indian classical dance, dating 400 years
back in history.
What made up her mind? “Indian
classical dance was always my first
choice. I wanted to reach out to a greater
audience and make a mark. So, what
better option than Kathak,” she quips.
She had to trudge along thousand
miles to take Kathak lessons, from
Pandit Ramkrishna Mishra in Kolkata.
It was around early 70s. She bore the
pain of traveling ten times a year to take
dancing lessons and learn the nuances of
Kathak. “It was a real test and challenge
August 08 49