Shoma Kaikini bags 'Global Youth Leadership Award'

First performance at age 4 yrs at a residential school, prizes almost every year at schools and colleges, choreographed dances right from her school days, represented her institutions for dance competitions and won accolades and trophies, started her own dance school at Mumbai at 23 yrs., performed in Tanzania and her own compositions in major cities of India, Shoma Kaikini is becoming a name to be reckoned within the field of contemporary dance. Shoma started choreographing dances at the age of 12 yrs for the national OCF programmes of Indian Oil and for employee children of ITC.
Indian danseuse Shoma Kaikini was awarded the Global Youth Leadership Award at the International Youth Day celebrations held in New Delhi on August 12. Sri Sultan Ahmed,
Minister of Tourism for State and Sri Krishnamurthy, former Election Commissioner, presented her the award for promoting Indian dance through contemporary style.
Twenty five year old Shoma Kaikini has come a long way since her first performance at the age of four years. In school she won prizes almost every year, and when she was 12, she choreographed dances for national OCF programmes of Indian Oil and children of ITC employees. At college she wowed audiences with her captivating performances, and started her own dance school in Mumbai when she turned 23. This was followed by a performance in Tanzania and in other major cities in India.
From a withdrawn child shy of talking and making eye contact with people, she has evolved to become an acclaimed dancer and teacher at the national level, at Nrityanidhi, her dance institute. At the age of 19 she left the comforts of her home in Bangalore to chase her dream of becoming a professional dancer.
Nrityanidhi has trained over hundred youth in Indian Dance in the most creative manner. Her basic idea was to attract youngsters towards Classical Dance in the simplest manner with the intension of keeping the beauty and purity of Indian Cultural Heritage alive.
At Nrityanidhi, equal importance is given to life skills, personality development and confidence building. This is what makes her institute stand out among so many dance institutes in India. 'Buoyancee', an institute situated in Jayanagar Bangalore, run by her parents since 1992, has been her motivation and the experience. She developed her risk taking abilities and responsibilities there, as she worked her way up since her 7th std. Many of the old students get a chance to work there during the vacations. Her parents Sadhana & Ajit Kaikini, who are the founders of this unique institute, have won recognition from Sir Ratan Tata Trust as 'India Leaders for Tomorrow' and in 2008 for having covered over 100,000 teens and youth in leadership programmes through Lions and Rotary in 3 yrs. They were honoured at Malaysia and UK as social entrepreneurs.
"I learnt to have a professional approach when I went through the courses at Buoyancee as any other child would and was given no special treatment," says Shoma. Continuous learning and working at Buoyancee during her holidays helped her make a lot of friends and she learnt the art of interacting with the different people from various fields.
Buoyancee encouraged her to do charity shows and events to sponsor programmes for the underprivileged in the slums and villages. She got involved with her alumni to work towards setting up a free library and a free clinic. Such programmes through Buoyancee alumni children between the age group of 10 to 15 years, raising funds by visiting neighborhoods and doing chores like cleaning houses/gardens, cutting vegetables etc. showed them a different facet of life.

"There were so many who offered us money for the good cause anyway but, we refused unless they allowed us to work for them" says Shoma. "We also bore the brunt of impolite and discourteous people and that is how we learnt to deal with all kinds of people and bloom even in the worst situations and to continue this good work," she recalled.
Today, through her Nrityanidhi team, she has helped a school raise funds to extend a floor, raise funds yearly for Buoyancee to run the Bhoomi programme for the underprivileged girls at Buoyancee and also support the slum children project. Nrityanidhi lately has started teaching mentally challenged children in Khar, Mumbai and the miraculous work happening at Buoyancee has encouraged her to do the same.
Apart from top media coverage (NDTV 24X7 ; TimeOut Mumbai; Hindustan Times; Radio Mirchi; ELLE magazine etc.) the Global Youth Leadership Award has come as the latest feather in her cap.
"My only aim now is to work very hard to brighten the future of our country by keeping our cultural heritage alive and create better, confident and holistic artistes for tomorrow," she said, in her thanksgiving speech.