I have a faint memory of the Russian Ballet visiting India sometime in the 1980s. I must have been a child then, so the details are understandably hazy. But I don't remember them ever coming to Kolkata.
Perhaps that is why hearing that the Russian Ballet was coming to the City of Joy this time, with a performance of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, brought me tremendous joy.
Growing up, Tchaikovsky was almost a part of the soundtrack of my childhood. Swan Lake and The Nutcracker were pieces I had listened to countless times. The music was familiar, even if, as a child, I probably had very little understanding of the artistry and discipline behind the ballet itself.
So when I heard that Swan Lake was actually going to be performed right here in Kolkata, there was absolutely no way I was going to miss this extravaganza.
And so, we found ourselves at Nazrul Mancha, ready to experience what was, for me, a rather special coming together of childhood memories and the present.
There is something quite magical about hearing music you've known for decades and then suddenly seeing the story unfold before you. The haunting strains of Tchaikovsky, the elegance of the dancers, the elaborate costumes and the sheer precision of the choreography all came together to create a spectacular evening.
But somewhere between the music and the movement, I couldn't help but think of that little boy who had grown up listening to Swan Lake and The Nutcracker all those years ago.
Back then, the Russian Ballet was something distant—something I associated with faraway places, grand theatres and a world of classical artistry that seemed almost impossibly exotic.
And now, here it was, in Kolkata.
At Nazrul Mancha.
Perhaps that is one of the wonderful things about growing older. Some of the things you once experienced only through music, books or imagination eventually find their way back into your life—except this time, you are there to experience them fully.
For an evening, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake wasn't just music from my childhood.
It was alive, right in front of me.
And what better place for it to return than the City of Joy?
A truly spectacular ballet, a beautiful evening, and one childhood memory that finally got its encore.
