A Journal of Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya

her journey has only been uphill. She
has visited India year after year to polish
her skills. Madhoerie says that as she learnt,
something deep within motivated her to
learn more and she felt she had to make
an effort to keep this 4000 year old tradition
alive. So when the Hindu Muslim
organization HIMOS approached her with
a proposal to start Bharatnatyam dance
classes in Suriname she was
dumbstruck…..leaving behind a well settled
business and family seemed impossible;
the honorarium being offered by the
organization was not even a tenth part
of what they were earning in Holland and
the thought of leaving the kids behind
tore her but finally the deep rooted cultural
values won and she decided to come back
to Suriname for the sake of Bharatnatyam.
She decided not to charge anything from
students and thought of it as her
contribution to society. Deeply committed,
involved and aware of people and their
problems Madhoerie started her lessons
with 18 students in the garage of another
socio-cultural activist Mrs. Sonia
Quintusboschz.
Some time later as the cultural activists
were planning Hanuman Jayanti, Madhoerie
happened to mention that she could perform
Bharatnatyam on Hanuman Chalisa. It was
a matter of great curiosity and also some
opposition as till then dancing in temple
had never been envisaged and when the
performance was scheduled great crowds
were drawn into the temple yard and the
outstanding dancer, a consummate artiste,
she blazed a trail as she presented this
challenge to the spectators. The very next
day 65 new students enrolled into her
class and then started the real journey
of Bharatnatyam in Suriname which has
seen 12 students perform their Arangetram
of which about five are today established
teachers and have their own dance schools.
Another five of Madhoerie's students have
performed Arangetram in Holland one of
whom is her daughter Arti Jagmohan,
making her mother proud, running her
own dance school.
Multi-faceted, successful and dynamic
Madhoerie presents a challenge to today’s
spectator. Her life and her works have
made her a role model for many girls
of the younger generation of today. She
has performed in a number of countries
such as Europe, India, Trinidad, Guyana,
French Guyana. Every atom of her body
lives and breathes dance, her eyes light
up at the mere mention of dance and
is full of energy even when talking about
it. A visionary leaving behind a legacy
of believing and living a personal
commitment, she displays an infectious
zest for life but which rests on a solid
foundation of rigorous training and
sensitivity, deep thought, intensity and
incredible hard work. She is individualistic,
contemporary and ever dynamic, which
make her performances mesmerizing.
The most overwhelming performance
70 :: January-March 2012