“If we can have gully boys who the country emulates, then why can we not have gully girls?” asks Shivani, a B-girl. While there are many young talents who lose out on opportunities due to several societal barriers, being a girl in this patriarchal society is an added struggle.
Right from her childhood, Shivani has been a performer. She was always ready with a dance routine to wow whatever audience was willing to watch. When she got to know about the underground scene through one of her friends, she felt like she found her true calling. She never considered her gender to be another hurdle she had to cross. She believed in her talent and the fact that nothing could stop her.
Dancing is something that is just not seen as a career option in lower-middle-class families, and to add to that, Shivani’s choice of dance form was not even conventional. Instead of what is seen as suitable for girls like Bollywood or classical, she chose b-boying and breaking. No one gave her a chance but she was determined.
Her only roadblock was when she lost her father, but being the iron-lady that she is, she overcame that as well. In fact, she drew strength from her father and how he had been resilient all through the time his health was deteriorating. She is now proud of her choices, strength, and struggles because all of these have given her the success she has now. Live her story through her words and understand what it takes to be a girl in a man’s world.
