Gaurav Bhatti: The emerging talent in Kathak

Gaurav Bhatti, winner of the first Dr. Sunil Kothari Award for Emerging Artist, says the honour has strengthened his belief in the art

Dry leaves blow in through the window and the dancer swirls, portraying the moods of autumn, even as the camera captures his intricate footwork and expressions. ‘Khidki se... Hemant’ is the latest work by Gaurav Bhatti, the first recipient of the Dr. Sunil Kothari Award for Emerging Artist-2021. A Kathak dancer with the Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company - The Drishtikon Foundation, Bhatti has traversed artistic spaces in Canada and India to deepen his dance explorations. “When I started working on the piece, I was thinking about the dried leaves and changing colours during the fall in Canada and the autumn in Delhi. Everything was uncertain during the pandemic. The images of the dead translated into a metaphor for the dried, dead leaves,” says Gaurav, talking about his award-winning work. The meaning of the work shifted as he worked through the text, with his experiences, and observing the grim situation around him. “Through the pandemic we were looking at the world through our windows, locked in our homes, and we were also seeing the world through the window of our phones. For me, the entire world turned upside down. For many, there wasn’t even the possibility of seeing their loved ones and saying a final goodbye.”