Anamika Mandal (Mishra) started dance at a young age, and begain studying directly with Pandit Chitresh Das when she was 8 and continued to study into her College years. She was one among the early children of the 90’s who trained intensely with him as a child and teenager. She was cast as Ram in his major school production of the Ramayana in 1995. Anamika reflects on the powerful impact Panditji’s teachings had on her. In the time she studied with him, throughout the 1990’s, he told students to refer to him as “Dada”, meaning elder brother in Bengali.
Pandit Chitresh Das’ Chhandam School of Kathak “Ramayana” production 1995
Anamika is seated second from the left as young Ram. To her right is Shilpa Gupta as Bharat, to her left as older Ram, is Monica Henderson-Desai, as Sita is Jaiwanti Das-Pamnani, as older Laksman is Charlotte Moraga, as young Lakshman is Antara Bhardwaj and as young Bharat is Suparna Saha.
Anamika’s parents, Gajendra and Bina Mishra were active arts and community leaders who were instrumental in establishing Pandit Chitresh Das to teach in the Fremont area, and were among the founders of the Fremont Temple, where Panditji taught for some time. Anamika and her older sister Anisha and brother Amitesh, were all steeped in Indian classical, folk and other music and dance growing up in the Bay Area.
Our Marketing Intern, as well as Kathak Dance & Teaching Fellow, Avani Viswanathan, interviewed Anamika for our “Voices of the Legacy” blog.
Anamika at 8 years old in her first kathak performance
Tell us a little bit about how you started dancing. What was it like to study with Pandit Chitresh Das? Can you take us back to that time?
I was born and raised in the Bay Area in a family of classical musicians and artists. My sister was my first dance teacher, and by two, I loved the stage. My parents came here during the ’70s tech boom, and building community around arts and culture was integral to our family. They wanted us to embrace our California roots while staying connected to our Indian heritage.
They searched for the right teacher—an exceptional Kathak artist who could nurture my love of performing while grounding me in North Indian classical dance. They had met Dada in the late ’70s and reconnected in the ’80s, when he began teaching an early youth class of Indian American students in Fremont. I joined at eight and studied with him through college.
To me, Dada embodied that meeting of India and California. His teaching was deeply rooted in tradition, with an energy and openness that spoke to the world we were growing up in. He brought dancers from different backgrounds together, recognized our individual strengths, and pushed us to grow.
I still remember my first class, on Guru Purnima. The focus, the rhythm, the energy—I wanted in. Growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, Star Search was center stage, and my friends were taking Irish dance, tap, ballet, or jazz. I was studying Kathak—and with Dada, I found my place.
His teaching was intensely athletic, demanding, and empowering. Through dance, I could be all parts of myself: Indian, American, strong, expressive, and joyful. He lit a fire within me.
Anamika wearing the Chitresh Das Institute “Kathak Icon” t-shirt
Anamika continues to stay connected to the arts and to kathak through the Chitresh Das Institute
What are moments that stand out to you throughout your experience?
The chakkars—the speed, the freedom, the power. Dada pushed us to bring precision and complete commitment to every movement. I loved that intensity. Alongside it was the camaraderie with my fellow kathakas. We challenged each other and grew together as sisters.
Preparing for the Ethnic Dance Festival auditions also stays with me. We were representing Kathak alongside dance traditions from around the world, right here in the Bay Area. Dada made sure we understood both the opportunity and the responsibility. Every detail mattered. He taught us to take pride in what we were sharing and to respect the larger arts community we were part of.
And then there was playing Ram in the Ramayan. Dada saw something in me before I fully saw it in myself. His belief challenged me to grow into the role. When I’ve been doubted—or doubted myself—I’ve returned to that experience. He helped me build confidence by pushing me to discover what I could do.
A Proud Arts Patron
Anamika’s intensive trainer as a kathak dancer at a very high level has give her a lifelong appreciation for the arts.
How did everything you learned studying Kathak apply to other aspects of your life?
Across my career on Wall Street and as a fintech executive—and in my life as a mom—I’ve drawn on the discipline, resilience, inner strength, and pure joy Dada nurtured in me.
Before pivotal career moments, I still return to reciting bols or the grounding of pranam. Those practices help me get centered, focus, and step forward with conviction. His emphasis on riyaaz taught me to prepare, keep going, and trust the work.
I feel those lessons today when I train in boxing—the rhythm, footwork, focus, and connection between mind and body. That feeling of being grounded and powerful takes me right back to his classes.
As an Indian American girl, being encouraged to take up space, move with strength, and be myself was formative. Today, I’m trying to help my children discover what lights them up, just as my parents and Dada did for me.
What would you say is the value of studying Kathak in today’s world?
Dada showed us how a classical tradition could speak directly to our lives in California. Through his teaching, we connected to an art with deep roots while finding our own voices within it.
In a world of short clips and highlight reels, that depth matters. Daily riyaaz asks you to listen, repeat, find your balance, and try again. Dada made that process challenging and alive. The confidence came through the work.
Growing up, when the world pulled me in different directions, Kathak gave me a sense of self. Dada helped me feel connected to my heritage and at home in who I was. I hope future generations find that same spark through Kathak—their own light, and the confidence to let it shine.
Anamika Mandal is a Sales Executive who is currently consulting, and previously held executive leadership roles at Block, Robinhood, and other major financial institutions. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband Jay and two children.