27 Nov 2019

 A 10-member Bollywood inspired Jhankaar Dance Troupe from India had their audience eating from the palms of their hands with breath taking dance moves at Francistown on Tuesday.

The performance, which was organised by the Indian High Commission to Botswana and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in conjunction with the Bharath Association of Francistown, left the audience calling for more.

The group brought foot tapping beats, a riot of colours, vibrancy, energy and performance by blending different dance styles on stage wowing the audience.

Led by Neha Sharma, the group performed dances depicting the folk and culture of India with successful scintillating performances and ruling the stage for three hours non-stop.

Sharma, a passionate dancer/choreographer trained in various dance forms such as viz, jazz (danceworx) contemporary and Mayurbhanj Chau (Sadhya), stole the show with his electrifying moves.

Speaking at the event, Indian High Commissioner to Botswana, Dr Rajesh Ranjan said the troupe would visit several countries in Africa such as South Africa, Ethiopia and Sudan to sell the Indian culture and folk.

The group performed at Maru-a-Pula from November 23-24 before moving to Francistown, and will be in Durban, South Africa over the weekend.

Dr Ranjan appealed to Indians to uphold the rule of law and respect the constitution of their country, which is the supreme power over and above all other powers in the state.

The High Commissioner further stated that the document laid down the framework demarcating fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental rights.

In his welcome remarks, president of Bharat Association in Francistown, Sumanta Sahu explained that this is one of the fourth Bollywood entertainers having started in 2016.

He said the seven-day tour would help people from other countries to know and appreciate the Indian culture while giving Indians a sense of dignity.

Meanwhile, the Bharat Association of Francistown used the event to present a P5 000 cheque to Lephoi Centre for the blind at Monarch, Francistown.

Lephoi Centre coordinator, Ephraim Ngoma said the money was a contribution towards the construction of a vocational centre for the visual impaired.

Other members of the group are Sudhir Kumar, Himesh Parcha, Sahul Bhatia, Satyam Khannagwal, Priyanka Sharma, Sumit Kumar and Rishabh Srivastan. END