Every year we celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi in our apartment. The celebration goes on for 7 to 9 days. All the families in our apartment come together every evening for puja. After the puja, we usually have cultural programs and fun games. Last year, my Papa and I decided to give a dance performance together. We took a long time to choose the song. We listened to many Bollywood, Tollywood, and even Hollywood songs. Finally, we decided to perform a folk dance from Odisha called Sambalpuri dance. The song we chose was the famous Sambalpuri song “Rangabati Rangabati.” My Papa told me that this song was popular even when he was a school-going boy.

We listened to the song many times. Since I could not understand Sambalpuri language, my father explained some of the meanings to me. But more than the meaning, I loved the beats and music. Whenever the song played, I just wanted to dance. We started practicing 10 days before our performance. Every evening we practiced for 30 minutes in front of our TV. Some dance steps were difficult for me, so my Papa taught me some easy and fun steps.

When my father visited my grandparents’ house few days back, he brought my grandmother’s Sambalpuri saree for me. The saree was around 30 to 40 years old, but it still looked so beautiful. Sambalpuri sarees are World famous. The cloth is soft, colorful, and very pretty. I loved the bright colors and beautiful patterns made by the talented weavers.  My father also bought Sambalpuri cloth for himself and stitched a nice shirt from it. We knew that with our Sambalpuri song and Sambalpuri dress, we were going to rock the stage!

On the evening of the performance, my mother helped me with my makeup. My father took a Lady palm plant leaf from the garden and carefully cut that to decorate my hair. It gave me a tribal look. After getting ready, we went downstairs, and everyone was surprised to see us in our beautiful traditional dress. They never expected us to perform like this. Everyone clapped when we went onto the stage.

Then the music started, and so did our dance. We tried our best and enjoyed every moment. Sometimes I forgot my steps, and my Papa quietly showed me what to do next. I danced with all my heart, and so did my Papa. I have never seen the fathers of my friends dancing on stage like this. But my Papa is my superhero. He can do anything. He told me that dancing with me on stage was one of his dreams, and this was the perfect occasion for it.

After our performance, all my friends came to me and told me how well I danced and how pretty I looked. All the uncles and aunties appreciated both me and my Papa. It was such a proud and happy moment for us.

This became one of the most wonderful memories for our family. My mother recorded our dance video, and sometimes we still watch it together on our TV and feel very happy.