The Other Gully Boys: Meet Burari바카라�s Hip Hop Dancers, Challenging Adversities Through Dance

When we first spoke to 24-year-old Sandeep from Burari over the phone, we came across a rather reticent and shy voice. We requested him to let us know when we could meet over the weekend. 바카라�Main aapko kal confirm kar du?바카라� (바카라�May I confirm the time tomorrow?바카라�), he asked. He ended up confirming the plan much before the day had ended. The second time, he definitely sounded more confident. The third time he spoke to us was when we met him 바카라� by then, the conviction in his voice was louder, as he welcomed us into his studio where a Hip hop rehearsal session was in full swing.

바카라�We only set this up a few months ago. My friend and fellow Hip hop artiste Kamal has taken it on rent for 10,000 rupees a month,바카라� he said as we made our way into their studio on the second floor of the building with dusty, dark corridors showing us the way. The moment we entered the room, the beats of rap music synchronised with our footsteps and heartbeats. We didn바카라�t even notice that we had started to tap our feet while setting up our equipment close to where they danced, without making conversation with each other or engaging in meaningless banter. Hip hop was serious business.

바카라�We rehearse for at least ten to twelve hours every day, which is not including the classes we conduct at our homes or in schools and academies,바카라� says Deepak, a 22-year-old Hip hop dancer who goes by the name 바카라�B-Boy Kaku바카라� in his circles. He teaches gymnastics to kids as well. Deepak바카라�s father works at the Ajmere Gate of the New Delhi Railway station and moonlights as a security guard. The story isn바카라�t too different for his fellow dancers 바카라� while one바카라�s father is an electrician, another바카라�s brother paints homes and furniture. Some belong to families where everyone works three jobs to make ends meet. For these youngsters from North Delhi바카라�s immigrants바카라� colonies of Burari, their dance has been ammunition against circumstantial adversities. It바카라�s their war cry.

바카라�It바카라�s a village area and despite some development, people continue to have a conservative outlook,바카라� says 22-year-old Rajesh. He runs to the little water filter tucked away in the corner of the room and gulps down a few glasses before sitting down on the plywood floor to have a conversation with us. 바카라�Parents here still believe opportunities lie in the regular 9-5 jobs. Be a doctor, police, government employee or an engineer. But now, after we started seriously pursuing Hip hop, we can see them encourage their children to pursue different things. But that바카라�s happened almost a decade after we started in school. We used to practise on the streets initially, now we have a studio. This has given people some hope,바카라� he smiles.

The horror stories of this infamous neighbourhood are well-known. From being plagued by some of the worst civic amenities, or the complete lack of them, with homes flooding with gutter trash every monsoon, to a family of eleven killing themselves under mysterious circumstances, Burari has made its place on the national map for all the wrong reasons. But perhaps, a twist of fate for the locality isn바카라�t too far. These self-tutored young guns are now making their way on to national stages, with their eyes firmly set on international championships in the near future.

바카라�When we started off, we would practise on the pavements of Connaught Place and people would ask where Burari is. We바카라�d have to tell them it바카라�s beyond GTB Nagar because they had no idea about it. Now they know where Burari is when they see us perform,바카라� says 22-year-old Gaurav with a hint of pride in his voice. Gaurav is casually perched on a ladder leading to a mobile tower that바카라�s planted on the terrace of their practice pad. For Gaurav and his friends, Hip hop is as good as 바카라�azaadi바카라�, he says.

바카라�When people study, all of them have to follow the same path. For us, it바카라�s a new adventure every single day. Had we gone for a run-of-the-mill job, we wouldn바카라�t have been able to do what we love the most. We have all studied in colleges but that바카라�s not the path I wanted to follow. I wanted to be free,바카라� says 22-year-old Kamal aka KEM. Renting the studio with his own hard-earned income marked an important milestone in his life both personally and professionally. 바카라�Others need degrees to prove that they are qualified to do a job, but for us artistes, we are living proof of our talents and skills. We don바카라�t need someone else to give us a certificate for us to prove what we are capable of,바카라� Sandeep says.

As Deepak leaves in a hurry to conduct his gymnastics class, one of the boys follows him to the exit. He soon comes back with packets full of samosas and fizzy, sweet drinks and serves them to us on paper plates and plastic cups. 바카라�Please have them, we can continue with our work after that,바카라� Kamal says as 50 Cent blasts off behind us. The feet-tapping can바카라�t be stopped, it바카라�s a reflex and perhaps criminal to not give in to it while in this haven of Hip hop.

The walls are covered with black chart paper and occasionally interrupted by posters and graffiti-like artwork. From Bob Marley to a seven-feet tall photograph of Michael Jackson embracing the walls, the stories of these other gully boys of Burari are embossed on every inch and corner of their studio that seems to have a life of its own. 바카라�We are going to improve the lighting too. A lot of work still has to be done for the studio,바카라� KEM tells us about his establishment, that is often sublet for birthday parties in order to meet financial needs.

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We slowly leave behind the congested bustle of the main road of Burari and take a sharp turn in to a parallel world that barely resembles the rest of the capital. From lavish fields of yellow and green to cattle outnumbering cars, Burari바카라�s in-roads reek of a different definition of civilisation, one that바카라�s easy for privileged main town dwellers to discount and forget. As we make our way into the narrow, grey lanes of Sandeep바카라�s neighbourhood, voices of hawkers selling everything, from safety-pins to quilts, mix with the excited chatter of kids dancing to a Bollywood number and blanket the air. An old lady wrapped in a maroon shawl sits on the steps leading into the living room where children, less than ten years of age, practise their steps.

바카라�Come in. The kids are just starting their practice,바카라� says the lady who happens to be Sandeep바카라�s aunt, Premvati.

바카라�The parents of these kids have been sending their children to learn dance from our son for a few years now,바카라� she says as we take our shoes off and step inside their two-storey home. A couple of parents wait in the room behind the living room. One of them smiles at us and asks if we are a TV crew and if she can watch her daughter on television soon. 바카라�One should only do what one likes. Parents should encourage their children to pursue their dreams, even if that바카라�s dance or sports,바카라� she says while keeping an eye on her daughter in the adjacent room.

The walls of Sandeep바카라�s home are struggling for breathing space as certificates and a few newspaper cut-outs elbow each other out to retain their place. 바카라�We바카라�ve already travelled half the country. Nobody in our families has travelled so much in their lives, at least they hadn바카라�t at our age,바카라� Sandeep says as he goes on to teach his students a new step.

We begin to pack up just before sunset, and on our way out, we happen to ask the children as to who wants to become a dancer when they grow up. The resounding 바카라�me바카라�s from all eleven present echoes through the lanes and triggers the flight of a flock of pigeons into the horizon that seeps in through a mesh of crisscrossing wires and Hip hop music.