She did not have a proper childhood; in fact she did not have a childhood at all. Born in a backward village in Gharwa district of Jharkhand, into an impoverished Tribal family, Purnima lost her parents before she could even open her sticky little eyes. She was raised by her maternal aunt, on the diktat of the village panchayat. She was regularly beaten by her drunken uncle and forced to do the household chores from dawn to dusk by her aunt. Somehow Purnima managed to pull through these travails of life with a smile. With no friends at home, and not having been initiated to school, Purnima turned towards her only passion, Dance – albeit secretly. It helped heal her innermost wounds. And every day she would stand in front of the ‘Karma’ tree - the tree that traditionally brings good luck. She would watch Jharkhandi men and women dance in circles, with their arms around each other’s waists, to the beat of drums. Purnima began to imitate their movements in solitude, while fetching water from the village pond or while walking to the stream to wash clothes. In course of time she realised that she had acquired the skill of dancing the ‘Karma Munda’ tribal dance. But, her passion remained hidden from her cruel guardians back home.
As years passed, Purnima, standing at the cusp of physical and emotional maturity, was offered a job in Delhi by an agent, who had ‘purchased’ her secretly for Rs. 10,000 - much lesser than the price of a milch cow. She was clandestinely brought to Delhi in a passenger train in the heat of the scorching North Indian summer. Lodged in very sleazy surroundings, Purnima felt caged. Friendless and with a handicap of language, she had no option but to endure the suffering thrust upon her.
She realised from a few girls, most of them tribals from her own State, that she had been trapped in G.B. Road, a ‘red-light’ area of Delhi - from where, it is said, there is no way out. Sexually abused and beaten by her tormenters, Purnima battled suicidal thoughts. She tried to remain strong in her belief that the ‘Karma’ tree would eventually come to her aid and bring her fortune. And it did - during a police raid organised by an NGO working for the victims of sex trafficking, Purnima was rescued, along with a few other girls. She was sent to a government-run home for girls where, for the first time in her dreary life, she was able to eat two square meals a day. At the ‘home’ she saw that her friends were learning sewing, embroidery, packaging and cooking. Purnima expressed her desire to learn and perform dance. Her request was met with stern resistance from the ‘home’ authorities. But, being stubborn and proud, Purnima wrote a few lines in broken Hindi on a postcard addressed to the Union Minister for Woman and Child Welfare – and secretly posted it. The lady Minister, though deluged by a shower of mails, providentially picked up Purnima’s postcard and read the contents. She understood the predicament of the girl and summoned her to her office at Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi. The demure girl stood there motionless, tears rolling down her eyes – expecting the worst. She explained to the Minister that she had been a victim of circumstances and that there was no avenue through which she could pursue her passion to dance the ‘Karma Munda’ - a tribal dance that reminded her of her childhood, and which she considered an epitome of good fortune. Moved by her story, the Minister ordered that she be taught in one of the premier institutions of dance in New Delhi, and that her education at school also be funded by the Government. Training under a Guru renowned for his knowledge of folk dances, Purnima soon embarked on her first performance – unbelievably in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, in the presence of a visiting Head of Government! Though her performance was a miniscule part of the ceremony - where many senior artistes also performed - there was a spark in her that caught the eye of the Australian Prime Minister. After the show, when Purnima was sitting at the corner of the stage, sipping her cup of tea and munching on biscuits, the Personal Security Officer to the President of India came and informed her that the President wished to talk to her for a few minutes. Surprised, and ignorant of what that meant, Purnima walked into the President’s office. The President said, “Beti (daughter), the Prime Minister of Australia has requested us if he can avail of your services in an academy of traditional dance in Canberra, where the Bush Dance and aboriginal forms of endangered folk dances of Australia are taught. The PM is awestruck by the similarity between the tribal dance of Jharkhand and the native dances of Australia.” So, before she could even realise the significance of the request, Purnima was on a flight to Canberra, Australia. While it was thousands of miles from Gharwa (her home town), it was unimaginably close to what she had dreamt of becoming – a Dancer. As she looked out at the crimson clouds, while still clasping the ‘Karma’ sapling of Jharkhand in her bony hands, her Australian co-passengers introduced themselves to her: “I am Hugh Jackman and this is Nicole, Nicole Kidman. Welcome to Australia.”
The Writer is a renowned Kuchipudi Danseuse and Choreographer
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