Colours of Courage: Meet the Dancing Dadi, Ravi Bala Sharma who refused to dance to her age’s tunes; EXCLUSIVE

You might be living in a bubble if you still haven’t seen Dancing Dadi’s reels on your Instagram feed. The 63-year-old has taken the Internet by storm with her dance moves and energy. While many know her face, not everyone knows her story. Here’s a first-person account of how Ravi Bala Sharma decided to step into a world dominated by teenagers.

Dressed to the nines, camera by her side, she wakes up every day thinking about which song to pick next or what moves will make for her day’s performance. By now you must have visualised a girl in her 20s, getting all prepped up for participating in her upcoming music video. But what if we tell you, it’s not what you think.

At 63, she is as young and energetic as any other young adult would be. She is passionate, enthusiastic and despite her knee complications is competing with people half her age, or even less, to make the perfect reels and garner thousands of eyeballs, or should we call it views.

Ravi Bala Sharma aka Dancing Dadi, a resident of Mumbai, has changed the definition of aging. From changing the common perception of the elderly with a stick in hand, bent back and shoulders to make people’s jaws drop by grooving on hits like Saami Saami, Bijlee, Chaka Chak, Sharma refused to abide by the societal norms and chose something that she loved.

“I have been passionate about dance since my childhood. I come from a musical background and music and dance were also prioritised in my family. Attending early morning music classes headed by my father was a ritual for all of us in the family. However, as we grew up, dance took a backseat. My parents never disliked dance but always advised us to avoid it since we didn’t want people to name and shame us,” says Sharma.

Given that dance was always a part of Sharma’s soul, her Instagram journey started back in 2020. “It was after the death of my husband in 2016 that my sisters decided to enroll me in dance classes. It was their way of showing care and affection towards me. They knew that dance will help me come out of the trauma and fill the void, at least, a bit of hit that was thereafter my husband’s death. As soon as I got enrolled, my life got meaning. However, it was in 2020 that I was recording a video for a dance competition that my son decided to put the video out on Instagram,” recalls Sharma.

The first two videos did well, however, it was only after she had posted a couple of them that she started getting recognised. “Love was pouring from around the world. People appreciated me, gave me the tag of Dancing Dadi and that kept me going. Gradually, I transitioned into making reels. It was because somebody advised me to stop posting long videos and switch to shorter ones as that is the future, and rightly so, it’s because of reels that I am here today giving interviews to several media publications,” Sharma recalls with a broad smile.

Taking a walk down the memory lane, and revisiting her childhood, Sharma has an interesting incident to share. “As I mentioned, my father didn’t like us dancing when we grew up. But I had this never-ending love for dance. Once, I lied to my parents and took part in a dance competition. I was all excited to perform without knowing what was I going to see next. The moment I was on stage with a lot of enthusiasm, I looked at the audience, and there was my father sitting at the judge’s seat. This might sound like a movie scene to you but it’s as real as it can be. That moment got me and I was scared. We all went home, my father scolded me a bit and the situation got diffused,” Sharma tells you.

Now, she says, her life has not only got a meaning but she has a reason to wake up every day, keep herself busy in what she loves and moreover pursue her passion at the age when people tend to retire, not only from jobs but happiness, too. Not to mention, dance helped her escape from the sadness that the death of her husband had brought in her life.

One may wonder, how did society treat a woman who only a few months after losing her husband, started taking dance classes. Not too bad is the answer. “Nobody had the audacity to question or taunt me. If they have done it behind my back, I don’t know about it, of course, but to my face, they remained the same. If they never appreciated me, they neither did something to stop me as well,” explains Sharma.

However, with lots of love from social media comes a little bit, or more, hate, criticism and trolling. And Sharma’s case is no different. “I love reading comments on my reels. It motivates me to perform better. While most of them are kind enough, some do cross the line and get ugly. They write, ‘aunty puja karne ki umar mein naach rahin hain’, ‘aunty bhajan-kirtan karo’, and all those things. It does affect me but, eventually, it’s a reflection of their mindset and thinking. They are stuck with it and I hope they are able to find a way out,” Sharma, who was a music teacher by profession, tells you.

But the sudden recognition has come with its perks. The relatives who once didn’t bother to speak to her, now proudly address her as a family member. “Yes, there are some relatives who were not in touch with us for years. But now they mention to other people that I am their family member which is a good thing actually. But I don’t have any grudges with anyone. I am at a happy place with my children,” adds Sharma.

If one is to question what hard work will an Instagram reel requires, it needs practice and sometimes pain, too. “Earlier, I used to practice for a week but now with reels, I only take a couple of days to practice. I try to match the energy of the younger generation, today and copy their moves but my knee condition doesn’t allow me to lift my knees up in the air or do quick reflexes like others. But that’s okay, I try to avoid such moves and bring in my uniqueness to that,” Sharma tells you.

For all those who are always laid back from pursuing their dreams, Sharma has a piece of advice. “Do what you love to. As long as it keeps you happy, don’t hesitate. Don’t pay heed to what society has to say, if you have your family’s support that should be sufficient. As for the families, I want to request them to not make their children give up on their dreams. Everything is possible when you are passionate about it and have a supportive family by your side,” concludes Sharma.

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