Khandita nayika on Valentines

I am the perfect person to play the role of Khandita nayika, one of the ashtanayikas.With my globe trotting husband this is always a joke in my dance circle. Rather than sit and mop,this Valentine, I went to my dance class to complete my ashtapadi. The song is about travellers wives, who are grief struck by separation since they cannot enjoy the joyous beauty of nature. Mercifully with nasty snowstorms there isn't much to grief about.
Ashtapadis give me a lot of peace and happiness, which I can't really find anywhere else. I do love Lady Gaga and all the dancey technopop but when in turmoil, it's Jayadev whom I turn to. The ashtapadis transport me to my childhood when I was forbidden to learn them. I would watch them being performed time and again by my adi Guru's best dancers. I didn't understand their meaning but could certainly appreciate the beauty of the pieces. Unknowingly, I developed a deep rooted love for them.
I am blessed to be able to learn them finally from Guru Mitra, for whom these are her most precious gems. Like a typical Guru Shisya parampara,I have had to put in years with her, imbibing her style before she was ready to pass them on to me.
You have to love the ashtapadis in your heart, have a true yearning for them before you can learn them. I dream of the day when I too can pass on these rare jewels, more precious than any gold, diamond or designer clothes.