Isha Sharvani

OT: Was travel a prominent feature of your childhood?
Isha Sharvani: Most definitely. Through most of my childhood, I travelled with my parents like a gypsy. I remember living in Delhi, Mathura, Orissa, Bangalore and Andhra Pradesh before we finally settled down in Kerala 20 years ago.

OT: Tell us what you love the most about Natyashram.
Isha Sharvani: Natyashram is a vibrant academy for the performing arts in rural Kerala. My parents, and other dancers associated with it, built it from scratch. I remember there was no electricity there at that time. To see so many people enjoying its facilities today makes me feel so happy. For me, of course, it is home — this is where I come back to after all my travels.  

OT: Which was the first country you ever visited on a dance tour?
Isha Sharvani: To be honest, I can’t remember at all. I have been dancing professionally since I was 13 years old and have been to thirty-odd countries so far, so it’s a bit of a blur actually!

OT: Which is your favourite city to perform in?
Isha Sharvani: I enjoy performing in the cities of the UK and Australia — the audience there is very receptive and eager to engage with the artist.

OT: Where would you like to go next?
Isha Sharvani: I would love to perform in the Americas — Brazil in particular. The destination that fascinates me is Dharamsala. I haven’t been there yet, but am looking forward to holidaying there soon.

OT: Any travel disasters?
Isha Sharvani: Well, minor disasters happen all the time, but I believe that anything can be solved if you have your passport and some money handy. 

OT: Do you shop much when you travel?
Isha Sharvani: I am not an avid shopper, but I do enjoy strolling through the local markets wherever I go to imbibe the vibe, taste and smell of the place, and to observe people.

OT: Which is your favourite food destination?
Isha Sharvani: I love the food in Gujarat. My mother is a Gujarati, so I visit the state often and totally dig the food I eat at my nani’s and masi’s places there.

OT: What do you like to read when you travel?
Isha Sharvani: When I travel, I take one book that inspires my imagination and another that’s entertaining, light and cheesy, and read whichever I feel like, depending on my mood. I just finished reading The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri.

OT: Which movie, in your opinion, does justice to the destination it is shot in?
Isha Sharvani: Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona starring Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson.

OT: The three things you always carry when you travel…
Isha Sharvani: Money, my identity proof and Vaseline.