When I danced with a Camel!
There are moments in life that you just can’t make up. As someone deeply entrenched in the world of arts, I’ve had my fair share of unique experiences. But one that stands out is the time I found myself dancing next to a camel at an expo.
Yes, you read that right—a camel. The organizers, in their quest to showcase the multicultural richness of the event, decided that a camel would be the perfect addition to make it “exotic”. While I appreciate the effort to celebrate diversity, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the slightly bizarre situation.
But here’s the thing about being an entrepreneur and a performer: you learn to make the most of every situation, no matter how unexpected.
So, with a big smile and all the enthusiasm I could muster, I danced my heart out next to my new, very tall, and slightly confused co-star.
The performance was recorded for TV, and I knew I had to turn this into an opportunity.
Once the clip aired, I went into full marketing mode. I shared it across all my social media channels. The response was incredible! People loved the quirky, unexpected twist, and it gave me a chance to highlight my adaptability and sense of humor.
The PR from this unusual performance more than made up for waking up at 5 am and dancing next to a camel with a tiny boombox 🙂
So, if you ever find yourself in a bizarre situation, remember to embrace it with enthusiasm. You never know when dancing next to a camel might become your next big marketing success!
5 Reasons why Kids should learn Mythology
1. Engaging Stories
Myths are typically filled with compelling stories that capture the imagination.
These narratives often feature heroes, gods, and magical creatures that intrigue children and hold their attention.
This makes learning about the culture that produced these myths more enjoyable and memorable.
For example, the delightful story of Krishna sneaking butter makes every child smile!
2. Cultural Values and Norms
Myths often reflect the values, morals, and societal norms of the cultures they come from.
Through these stories, children can learn about what various cultures might value in terms of bravery, wisdom, honesty, and other virtues.
This helps children understand and respect cultural differences.
For example, Hindu mythology has numerous stories about bravery, about taking a risk for the benefit of the masses, and so on. The story of Krishna facing the fearsome Kaliya demonstrates exactly that!
3. Historical Context
Many myths are steeped in the historical and environmental context of a culture.
They can provide insights into how people in those cultures lived, what they feared, what they celebrated, and how they explained natural phenomena or the universe around them.
For example, wit and intelligence has long been celebrated around the world over brute strength. Ganesha, known for his wit and wisdom, is believed to have won a contest with his brother of racing around the world by simply circling around his parents and calling them his “world”!
4. Critical Thinking
Myths often present complex narratives with moral dilemmas and philosophical questions.
This can help children develop critical thinking skills as they analyze the characters’ decisions and the consequences of those decisions.
For example, Ganesha’s mother asked her to guard the door as she took a bath. Shiva, Ganesha’s father and who Ganesha had never met before, tried to enter. Ganesha fearlessly takes on the mighty Shiva and even gets injured in the process. It sure provides something to think about to the kids!
5. Universal Themes
While myths are culturally specific, they often deal with universal themes like love, conflict, adventure, and transformation.
This can help children see the commonalities between their own culture and others, promoting empathy and global awareness.
For example, the story of Krishna’s father carrying him in a basket on his head and crossing a river to take Krishna to safety, sounds a bit familiar to Moses in the basket.
Similarly, Krishna facing his evil uncle, Kamsa, in a battle is similar to the stories of Horus and Set!
Get our Krishna and Ganesha books
Embark on a delightful journey through Indian mythology with our children’s books, “Let’s Celebrate Krishna’s Birthday” and “Let’s Celebrate Ganesha’s Birthday”.
Perfectly tailored for a global audience, these books bring the enchanting stories of Krishna and Ganesha to life in a way that’s fun, educational, and suitable for young readers aged 3-8.
Each book is filled with vibrant illustrations and age-appropriate narratives that capture the essence of India’s rich cultural heritage.
Whether uncovering Krishna’s mischievous escapades or marveling at Ganesha’s wisdom, these stories are designed to entertain, enlighten, and inspire curiosity in children, making them a fantastic addition to any family’s bookshelf.
Our “Accidental Author” journey :)
Vivek and I call ourselves “accidental authors”!
The journey started with Bollywood and Culture Groove, a company I co-founded in 2010 to spread the joy of Indian dance and culture in Chicagoland. But right from the get-go, our kids’ classes were unique. Instead of only teaching dances, our curriculum included learning about the people from different regions of India that the dances came from. This concept was a fantastic hit with parents, educators, and kids alike!
It was in 2016 when Vivek suggested that we make the cultural learning aspect accessible to everyone in the world irrespective of their physical location. And that’s when the concept of writing books came about.
This was before big publishers were publishing many books on Indian culture. So we decided to publish ourselves. We knew absolutely nothing about publishing except that our content was extremely engaging. After all, we had been teaching this content in our classes for kids ages 3 and up for years!
We published our first book – Let’s Celebrate 5 Days of Diwali – in the Fall of 2016 and watched in wonder as it became hugely popular. The next year, this book reached a rank of #387 out of all 8 million books on Amazon at that time. Encouraged by this amazing phenomenon, we published 12 more titles covering Indian festivals, cities, activity books, and even one on Indian weddings.
Today, our books are available in 54 countries with almost 80,000 books sold worldwide. But the biggest joy is receiving messages and letters from little readers from all around the world.
What started as a small dream to share the joy of Indian culture has now spread to a proportion that we couldn’t have ever imagined. And we owe it all to the amazing support we have received from parents, educators, library systems, and more.
Virtual Diwali Tour
We are so excited to announce the 2022 Virtual Author Tour.
With three Maya/Neel books on Diwali, now is the perfect time to schedule your Author Visit!
Let Bestselling Author and Presenter, Ajanta, take over for an hour and engage your students’ or coworkers’ imagination by sharing an inspiring presentation on Diwali, the festival of lights of India.
Using a combination of Joyful Movement, Indian music, and Stories, Ajanta will create an ultimate exciting and engaging experience!
Ajanta is the co-founder of Bollywood & Culture Groove and for the past 10 years, has endlessly worked towards spreading the joy of culture! She is the award-winning co-author of Maya/Neel book series. Her work has been featured on NBC, ABC, FOX, Elle Magazine, Neilsen Media, Sun-Times, Univision, Al Jazira+, and more.
Explore Maya/Neel Diwali Books
We hope to bring the magic and excitement of Diwali to your School, Library, or Organization.
Happy Diwali!
What People Say
Ajanta is AMAZING! I booked her at my public library for both a family dance and culture program and a short workshop for tweens through adults. She has unstoppable energy, is excellent with all age groups, and really brought the fun. The addition of her books and introduction to Indian language and culture was fantastic. It really opened a door for kids, teens, and adults in my community. Couldn't recommend her more!
We had a group of young kids. Ms. Ajanta's energy was infectious. Even the reluctant one stayed for the whole program. Her way of describing Indian culture was simple, highly visual, and bubbly. She was very good at engaging the kids. Even the parents got into the dancing.
Today Bollywood Groove & Culture Groove was at the West Englewood Library and it was an amazing experience. They explained Holi, The Festival of Colours with music and dance. It was interactive keeping the attention of a room of preschoolers for an hour while providing new information. Fun & learning was done by all.
I attended a dance class at the public library and it was an absolute delight! Ajanta had great energy and I learned a lot about Indian dance, culture, and history.
Ajanta came to do an Indian Dance & Culture Workshop for kids at my library. She had so much energy that I was tired just watching! She was able to keep the kids engaged the whole time while teaching them about different aspects of the Holi Festival. In the process the kids learned a dance that they put together at the end. We would love to have Ajanta back in the future!
Ajanta was amazing. The kids loved her. They were super engaged throughout the whole lesson. Very educational and entertaining!
We organized a virtual party for my daughter Sarah during the lockdown. Ajanta was amazing and the party was a great success! Children and families connected through Zoom and learned a traditional dance and it's meaning. Thank you for the great experience!
We no longer live in Chicago but my daughter and I both love the kids and adults Bollywood groove classes! The adult classes are a fantastic workout and I have not found anything as good in Atlanta. The kids dance classes are perfectly paced for this age group, interspersed with story telling and culture and a virtual recital at the end. Love, love, love Ajanta!
I'm not sure how I haven't written a review here before. I've been taking these classes for a year and a half now. I've never stuck with a workout that long. I love Ajanta. Somehow after dancing all day she still has more energy than I have when I wake up. I work out harder in BG than I do in any other workout I do; it's probably because I'm having so much fun that I don't even realize how hard I'm breathing. I highly recommend these classes.
My four-year-old daughter loves dance classes with Bollywood Groove! She has been taking classes for eight months - first at her school and now online. I highly recommend this program for kids and adults! It's a great workout with catchy music and awesome dance moves. Class also has a bit of education regarding India (the language, culture, etc). Truly a wonderful experience.
We had a virtual 5th birthday party last week put on by Bollywood Groove. The organization of the event was taken care of and we were provided simple instructions as to how to manage the party. The party itself was full of energy, perfectly themed, and fun for all! the birthday girl loved it, as did all of the attendees!
Wonderful Bollywood birthday party for my eight year old grandson via Zoom. Friends and relatives from all over the country were able to participate. And they DID because of the excellent example, enthusiasm, and creativity of the teacher! One party goer said that it was the most fun he'd had since COVID-19 quarantine began. I went all out and felt accomplished after the exercise.
By far the most energizing virtual workout I have been to all year! Ajanta was such a lively instructor and amazing at engaging the group. Such a fun way to get a workout in!
This place is so much fun. It doesn't even feel like you're working out because the music is lively and everyone is so into it. Definitely give it a try. You won't regret it.
This is a review for the zoom kids class. Love the choreography, music selections, your style of teaching. Ms Ajanta you are energetic, and we love your manner of explanation to the kids. We also love how you've incorporated story time regarding Indian culture during your breaks. My son doesn't know any Hindi but is able to dance to the songs and has learnt some awesome moves! This class has been enriching at so many levels but most importantly the kids love you and they have fun! You make the parents want to sit in and dance as well! I often find most Bollywood song choreographies very redundant but yours is unique and fun!
Bollywood Groove helped my company celebrate Diwali virtually with employees from across the country! The class was the perfect blend of cultural learning and dancing. Ajanta was able to tie in different parts of Diwali with each of the dance moves. Everyone who joined the virtual dance class loved Ajanta's high energy and how engaging she was. I definitely recommend Bollywood Groove for any parties/corporate events/etc. as a fun, lively, and educational event - that can be done virtually!
By far the most energizing virtual workout I have been to all year! Ajanta was such a lively instructor and amazing at engaging the group. Such a fun way to get a workout in!
Ajanta’s energetic workshop received nothing but positive exclamations from our Dell Team members! She makes diversity and inclusion through culture sharing engaging, fun, interactive and absolutely refreshing against our typical day-to-day.
Bollywood Groove has been AMAZING! We have been joining the virtual classes over the past month and the level of instruction is unmatched. My 3yo is blossoming!
Take Up Space, You Belong!
It was July of 2011. I was standing in front of 2,000+ people at Grant Park, Chicago. As I looked around, I could barely see the crowd that had now overflowed into the grassy area beyond the dance floor.
I put on a brave smile, nodded to my team of dancers, and began our show. For the next hour, we took the participants through a completely joyful immersion into Bollywood dance. We got their hearts racing and their faces smiling. The next morning, someone sent me this picture. We had made it in the Chicago Sun-Times!
If you had asked me 6 months prior to that date if I would get such an opportunity, I would have probably said no. I had moved to Chicago the year before and knew exactly, wait for it… ZERO people in all of Chicagoland. I had no friends, network, or connections.
While I was trained in classical dance, that’s not what I taught or performed. So not only was I unsure of my status in the larger artist community in Chicago, I wasn’t even sure of it within my own. I remember stopping dead in my tracks the first time I was called an *Artist* and then again a *Cultural Educator”. I was a computer scientist, a dancer, a fitness instructor but an artist and a cultural educator? Wasn’t that meant for other folks doing elevated and refined artsy stuff?
I was watching a TV show the other day where a dance studio owner said these two sentences: “You Belong” and “Take up Space” (This is Us fan, anyone?). And I remember that some incredible people around me had conveyed the same message to me all those years ago. They helped me feel that this Brown, barely-30, Woman from a small city in India Belonged and it was OK for me to Take Up Space.
On this International Women’s Day, I hope you feel the same. No matter the color of your skin, pedigree, or your status as a minority, YOU BELONG. So go ahead and TAKE UP THAT SPACE!