Fly High - Learn from Aditi Deshpande India's Aerial Art Trailblazer
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| Aditi on Mallakhamb rope |
Aditi Deshpande is the daughter of Padmashree Uday Deshpande Sir, the person who I have already presented on my blog
The joy of discovering Mallakhamb at the Shree Samartha Vyayam Mandir, Dadar, Mumbai
as being instrumental in making 'Mallakhamb' an officially recognised sport in India. We know that it has been a lifelong mission for him to get this sport known to as many people around the world and within India.
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| baby Aditi |
So, obviously, Aditi and her brother had a childhood and youth spent almost growing up at the Shree Samartha Vyayam Mandir, Shivaji Park learning the sport. Aditi says, her mother who is a classical singer would have preferred to have at least one of her children have the love of singing. But Aditi loved going and playing in the atmosphere of the SSVM. She was just three when she started following her father to where he spent all his evenings after his job. She even jokingly says she learnt to fly on the rope before she could walk.
Aditi learnt and competed in Mallakhamb from the age of 10-22. She won the Shiv Chhatrapati Award and was a National Champion in the senior category for 5 consecutive years. This award is given by the State Government of Maharashtra. The very special moment was that she received this award at the same stage and the moment that her father received the Dadoji Konddev Award, now called the Shiv Chhatrapati Award for Coaches.
Aditi went on to complete her graduation in Commerce at Ruparel College. Her Life's goal up until then was to win the Shiv Chhatrapati Award and so once she had achieved that she was blank about what she would do from then on in life.
Her work with Mallakhamb continued by default. She progressed to become a Mallakhamb coach at the SSVM. She found herself increasingly interested in learning everything about fitness and so she simultaneously studied to be a Certified Coach at Gold's Gym. She started working in one of the branches of Gold's gym in the day and working at the SSVM in the evenings teaching Mallakhamb. This was Aditi's routine for about 3 to 4 years. At the gym, Aditi got promoted from floor trainer to master trainer very quickly but it was a world of men in which she was the most junior, more educated than many and a woman to boot. She didn't want to work in an environment where workplace rivalry was more rampant than fitness. So when her mother was leaving to travel to see her brother's new born baby in the U.S.A., Aditi quit her job and joined her there for three months. She, of course, didn't just sit and do touristy stuff. She had met several Aerial artists over the years from the States who had travelled to Mumbai to learn Mallakhamb and so found a course that she could join to learn the new sport. Soon Aditi was the 1st certified Aerial Instructor in India, earning her certification having completed written and practical exams and eventually after having trained for over 100 hours.
When she returned to Mumbai, she immediately started teaching the sport to the Mallakhamb girls. She realised that even though Mallakhamb is a challenging sport that needs a lot of strength, since the climb on the rope uses the arms and legs, the upper body is much less solicited than when one practices Aerial Art. Aditi soon structured and developed a program that could be taught to the general population. The program has 6 levels for Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels. According to Aditi, anyone who has enough strength to carry their own weight can do the first three parts of the Beginner level. She talks of how there was an 80 year old man who used to come to the Mallakhamb school who showed interest in learning the ribbons. She was able to take him through some of the basic levels as he showed interest. She conducted weekend classes at the Shivaji Park Shree Samartha Vyayam Mandir for children. Shen also taught the sport at a studio in Lower Parel.
In 2015, Aditi started an official Aerial Art school called 'Fly High Aerial Art'. 2015 was also the year she got married. She was by then working in different studios in different locations and juggled that with teaching in 5 different international schools. Last year, some of her students participated in the World Championships of the sport in Budapest. The next National level Championships in Budapest are in August this year and the International level championships will be in Greece.
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| Aditi and her parents |
Aditi is a National level judge for Aerial Art Sport and an International level judge for Mallakhamb. When she looks back at the last 20 years, whether it was winning the Shiv Chhatrapati award in 2004-2005 or teaching several celebrities, she points out that for her she's always tried to maintain a certain level of respect when it comes to this new sport. She recounts how she was offered a lot of money to perform Aerial Art as a part of the decor in a big event like celebrity marriages or parties. She herself doesn't encourage this aspect of the sport, but, if her juniors and staff can make a lot of money for a 3 minute act and that they are ready to do it knowing what their role would be in the event, she doesn't object either. In some way, since she is a pioneer in bringing the sport to India, she also carries the weight or responsibility of how it develops in our society.
In 2014, Aditi asked her trainer friend Nupur Shikre, who was the trainer for the actor and former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen, whether she would like to try Aerial Art. She remembers the respect and excitement Miss Sen showed her from the first day when they met till the last time they trained. Miss Sen asked Aditi if she was okay to train her at 11 pm on the very first evening they met as she had an already packed schedule and also wanted to be able to tuck her daughter into bed. When Aditi agreed, she had own personal driver pick and drop her back from her home. Aditi says that Miss Sen also had gone through all the material she had sent her in advance and is still impressed by the way the star treated her as an equal even behind closed doors. It turned out that Aditi also taught at the school where Sushmita Sen's daughter went, so they saw each other often. In an annual event of her Aerial Art School 'Fly High' Sushmita Sen attended for 1 hour and went on stage to say that she was there since her Guru had called her.
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| With Sushmita Sen |
Aditi has also worked as choreographer in 'Dance India Dance' and 'Dance India Dance - Super Moms'. She also worked with Daisy Shah for a song in 'Race 3' and Nora Fateh in 'Be Happy'.
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| teaching the silks |
Despite all the glamour and meeting all these big stars, Aditi remains rooted and humble. She still makes it a point to go pick up her son from school - a conscious choice she makes everyday.
I ask her if she thinks India is changing and becoming more healthy and she mentions that soon our grandmothers won't be known for making pickles like in the yesteryears but for lifting weights. She knows that regular fitness is a part of the lives of all her friends and the way children are raised has also changed. Mothers take care of their own health and that of their children more seriously. The Aerial Art scene for example is big in Bangalore and so the market and the demand is ever growing too.
Aditi knows that awareness is needed for any level of change. She tries to make sure that health is given great importance in her family's life. She plans trips where her family cycle together, carry healthy snacks and principally eat home-cooked meals. She's had great role models at home growing up, and wishes to continue this 'win-win' tradition. As many follow her lead, she hopes to make a difference that matters to the health of a significant number of people.
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| teaching Mallakhamb to Aerial artists |
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