From becoming a Chartered Accountant to setting up a software company, and then starting a dance institute, Manisha Mehta has always surprised herself by following her instincts.

Born in Udaipur, Rajasthan, and brought up in Mauritius, Manisha was always fond of dance.

“From Bharatanatyam and Kathak to Ballet, I learned it all,” Manisha told us in an interview.

“I used to come to Udaipur every year to spend the holidays with my maternal family. And, I would dedicate most of my time learning Rajasthani folk dance,” she added.

However, Manisha who saw dance as just a hobby went on to become a Chartered Accountant after completing graduation.

“I looked up to my dad who was a CA and so I, too, decided to pursue it. Dancing was my passion, but, it always went along with my education,” said Manisha.

It was when she moved to the U.S. with her husband, she started teaching dance.

“I didn’t have a work visa and so couldn’t get a job. That was when my neighbors told me about the various dance competitions happening around, and so I got an idea of teaching and preparing them for the competitions,” she explained.

Life took another turn when she came back to India, and she started a software company in Bengaluru along with her husband. But, dance found her again and how!

“One day, the headline of an article, ‘Life starts at 40’ caught my attention. The coincidence was that I was about to turn 40 the same month!” exclaimed Manisha.

Finally, she followed her heart and DanceKala was born. Manisha started this dance academy with a vision to teach dance forms to as many children as possible, including the underprivileged ones.

Presently, the dance academy has over 100 students and is also affiliated with Rabindra Bharati University.

Recently, Manisha took a step further and collaborated with an orphanage, Thayi Mane, and started teaching dance to the kids of the orphanage.

“For long, I had wanted to do something for the underprivileged children. And, when the opportunity to teach kids of Thayi Mane came, I was on cloud nine,” she recalled.

These kids also performed on the Republic Day along with other DanceKala kids. Reminiscing the rehearsals with the little ones, Manisha said, “They were so well-behaved, and they greeted everyone with such affection and love, it was simply overwhelming! I have been teaching dance to children for years, and many times I felt that they took it for granted. But these kids, from Thayi Mane, were always eager to learn and were so energized.”

“It was a memorable experience, and I am currently talking to the Thayi Mane authorities to continue teaching them. It will not only give them confidence, but it’ll also help them develop a skill which they can use as a medium to earn, in the future,” she continued.

As her message to other parents, Manisha advised, “Every child is different. If they pursue their career in the field of their choice, only then, they’ll be able to find true happiness. So, I think every parent must give that space to their children to decide what they want to do and who they want to be in life.”

Manisha added, “It’s just the beginning of my journey. I have so much more to do.” This made me think that changing, growing, and learning with time is the only thing that can make one’s life meaningful.

Photo Source: DanceKala by Manisha Mehta