As a homeschooler, Jahnavi has the opportunity to take a wide variety of stimulating classes in Princeton while spending more time devoted to her beloved Bharathanatyam. Her dance journey started about eight years ago, in Guru Calai Chandrasekheran's Jersey City studio, where Ms. Calai blessed her to dance as gracefully as the Ganga, her namesake, descends from the Himalayas. Every Monday, she would come right after school, eager to see what she would learn next. She still remembers her very first performance at Exchange Place in Jersey City for Holi.  She also cannot forget the subarctic temperatures in October of 2017, where she and her dance mates performed the Ramayana at Jersey City's City Hall, barefoot on stage! Several classmates and teachers came to support her performance, friends who would continue to cheer her on at every step of her dance journey. These friends and teachers supported her during her Chalangai Puja, where she received the blessings and dance anklets from her Guru in 2019. She still is indebted to these teachers, friends and well-wishers. 

COVID-19 presented an interesting challenge to the dance community. However, Ms. Calai taught her students to see it as an opportunity. She taught them how to think outside the box. Students learned how to use Zoom for dance practice and how to choreograph intricate pieces on the Jersey City Waterfront, which was filmed for audiences in India. Through it all, Ms. Calai instilled in them a dedication to the art and perseverance against the odds. Ms. Calai has nurtured a resilient bunch in her students, skills and memories that they will take on their journey.

Ms. Calai taught her students also how to adapt to changing situations. When Jahnavi's family moved from Jersey City, Ms. Calai encouraged her interest in this ancient art to continue via in-person and virtual classes. The camaraderie developed while practicing for the rigorous Arangetram training has given her deep friendship while strengthening her diligence to the art form. Nothing teaches work ethic like the "rise and grind" Sundays driving an hour both ways to 6-hour practices at 8AM!

Finally, the Bharathanatyam class has been much more than a traditional dance class. Ms. Calai, has been a senior sister, a guiding mentor and close confidante. She also challenged her students to understand Indian temple architecture, Vedic histories and philosophy and encouraged them to find meaning in it all, as they are third- generation South Asian pre-teen artists. Jahnavi still remembers that Ms. Calai had students write an essay describing how Lord Shiva's Tandava dance of creation and destruction is truly the dance of the subatomic particle. So practical to Jahnavi's studies in Physics! Ms. Calai taught her students that art, science and her heritage are truly intricately intertwined. Now it is her opportunity to discover it. 

Little known facts about Jahnavi:

• Jahnavi wrote about small scale farming and effects of climate change in the CityKidzWorld magazine's Winter Edition. 

• She routinely helps package family bags at her local food bank, Arm in Arm. When she was going to school in NYC, she would take her class to help serve food to the homeless through Food For Life. 

• She has completed a CPR class for kids so she can safely babysit kids.

• Jahnavi enjoys pottery and sewing classes where she made beautiful clay bowls and mugs and repurposed old clothing into bags and skirts. 

• Jahnavi played Ms. Beaver in Stone Hill's rendition of the The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. She played Mrs. Medlock in last year's production, The Secret Garden.