I don't know about you, but I love Bollywood. And like every Bollywood fan, I dream of busting out the dance moves in front of those exotic locations that they show in the movies. And while Divya Deepankar does the same, it's not just for thrills. It is because she wants to bring her passion to your city through her initiative, Tere Shehar Mein. The Oxford alum and fellow Bollywood fan has already done so in 11 cities across the world (mostly in Europe and parts of the Middle East) and who knows, maybe she has her eyes and heart set on your city next.
Divya Deepankar
When the 25-year-old first introduces herself, she does so in two parts, "One is my professional LinkedIn profile, while the other is my Facebook profile," says Divya, who is popularising the hashtag #mypassioninyourcity with her FB posts. By day, she works as a Research Engineer for BSRIA Ltd in the UK , undertaking research projects funded by the European Commission. On the professional front, she is a results-oriented, process-driven individual, while her social persona is of an ever-smiling, inquisitive girl who loves to be "present in the present and prepared for the next moment." She loves yoga, singing, walking in the woods, and meeting new people along with travelling and dancing, which is what Tere Shehar Mein allows her to do.
A fancy location, her own Bollywood choreography and a stranger to hold the camera, "no tripod, because I want to travel light!" and she’s good to go. And not only does Divya make friends with these strangers who hold the camera for her, they even keep in touch and in some cases, end up drawing inspiration from Divya as well. Some of these strangers have gone on to take their varied passions like beatboxing, sewing and painting to different cities.
Divya choreographs her pieces well in advance, exercises certain sensitivity while choosing the location, and uploads raw, unedited videos on her Facebook page. She recently started uploading these on her very own YouTube channel as well. The dancer is taking baby steps and is in no hurry to expand hastily. All she wishes is that, "this hashtag is taken up by other people. I want to spread the message of #mypassioninyourcity, no matter what that passion is," says Divya, who wants people to participate in the initiative and tag her in the videos, even if they are still finding their feet.
As for her, maybe in the future, you might find her singing or taking Bollywood workshops. Divya says that she doesn't know how big she is ready to make Tere Shehar Mein, but she does know one thing for sure, "Both my LinkedIn profile and FB profile will continue to co-exist," she says with a smile. And as for us? We wait for her to find her stage in a brand new city and light it up with her passion.
Check out her videos here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCJ-R8jMBqLXRTVU3EJfDSQ
