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Bridges is the seventh essay in the NCERT Class 11 English Woven Words textbook. Written by Kumudini Lakhia, this essay is a reflective narrative that traces the author’s journey from an unwilling dance student to a celebrated choreographer. Lakhia explores how her life experiences, family, education, societal constraints, and global travels shaped her work in dance, forming metaphorical “bridges” between her personal growth and artistic expression. This blog provides a comprehensive summary, key highlights, themes, and critical points from the essay to aid students in effective revision. You can also download a free PDF for quick exam preparation.
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Explore Notes of Class 11 English Woven Words
NCERT Notes Class 11 English Woven Words Essay 7: Bridges
Here we provide the NCERT notes for Class 11 English Woven Words Essay 7: Bridges, covering author insights, detailed summary, themes, and literary devices.
About the Author and Key Highlights
Kumudini Lakhia is a renowned Indian dancer and choreographer, celebrated for her contributions to Kathak and innovative choreography. In Bridges, she reflects on her unexpected journey into dance, driven initially by her mother’s insistence rather than personal desire. The essay highlights how her life experiences, childhood in Bombay, boarding school in Lahore, studying agriculture in Allahabad, and touring with the Ram Gopal Dance Company, shaped her artistic career. Lakhia emphasises the connections (“bridges”) between her personal struggles, societal challenges, and choreography, illustrating how discipline, curiosity, and resilience transformed her into a dancer and creator.
Synopsis of the Essay
Lakhia narrates her evolution from a reluctant dance student to a choreographer, weaving her life’s challenges and experiences into her art. She begins by expressing disbelief that her younger self would have imagined her career in dance, as she was not “born to dance” but forced into it by her mother. Her early Kathak lessons in Bombay were arduous, involving long commutes and an unenthusiastic child. Inspired by a film dance sequence, her mother enrolled her in classes with Guru Sunder Prasad, enduring significant effort to support her daughter’s training.
Lakhia’s childhood was marked by broader experiences, growing up during India’s independence movement and World War II, moving frequently due to her father’s engineering work, and attending boarding school in Lahore. At school, her mother ensured dance lessons continued under Radhelal Misra, despite Lakhia’s preference for sports. The sudden loss of her mother at 14 profoundly impacted her, influencing her choreography, such as Duvidha, which explores emotional conflict and societal constraints on women.
After excelling in her exams, Lakhia chose an unconventional path, studying agriculture in Allahabad, where she navigated gender dynamics and societal expectations. Her encounter with Komlata Dutt led to her joining the Ram Gopal Dance Company, exposing her to diverse dance forms and international audiences. Touring post-war Europe, particularly Germany, taught her about context and perspective, influencing her choreography. Returning to India, she balanced marriage, motherhood, and her career, supported by her husband, Rajanikant. Her works, like Atah Kim and Panch Paras, reflect her life’s questions about power, identity, and the senses, forming bridges between her personal and artistic worlds.
Main Characters in the Essay
Understand the key figures who drive the narrative:
- Kumudini Lakhia (Narrator): The reflective voice who traces her journey from an unwilling dancer to a choreographer, connecting her life experiences to her art.
- Lakhia’s Mother: A determined figure who insists on her daughter’s dance training, seeing her potential and enduring hardships to support it.
- Lakhia’s Father: A supportive but silent engineer whose work causes family relocations, influencing Lakhia’s childhood.
- Radhelal Misra: Lakhia’s dance teacher in Lahore, continuing her Kathak training under her mother’s arrangement.
- Komlata Dutt: A pivotal figure who introduces Lakhia to the Ram Gopal Dance Company, changing her career trajectory.
- Ram Gopal: A strict yet inspiring dance mentor whose emphasis on technique and freedom shapes Lakhia’s approach to choreography.
- Rajanikant: Lakhia’s supportive husband, whose love for music influences her, though his trusting nature limits his professional success.
Themes in the Essay
The essay explores several significant themes, explained below in simple terms:
- Personal Growth Through Struggle: Lakhia’s journey into dance was not innate but a result of discipline and perseverance, reflecting the idea that dedication shapes talent.
- Connections Between Life and Art: Life experiences, loss, societal constraints, and global exposure form “bridges” to Lakhia’s choreography, shaping works like Duvidha and Atah Kim.
- Societal Expectations and Gender Roles: The essay critiques societal norms, such as restrictions on women’s bodies and roles, which Lakhia challenges through her dance and choices.
- The Power of Discipline: Discipline, learned from British teachers and Ram Gopal, is crucial to Lakhia’s personal and artistic development.
- Curiosity and Self-Discovery: Lakhia’s inquisitive nature drives her to question and explore, influencing her unconventional choices and creative output.
- Cultural and Contextual Influences: Exposure to diverse cultures and environments, from India to post-war Germany, shapes Lakhia’s perspective and choreography.
Literary Devices in the Essay
The narrator uses various literary devices to enhance the narrative:
- Metaphor: The concept of “bridges” symbolises connections between Lakhia’s life experiences and her dance, linking personal and artistic growth.
- Imagery: Vivid descriptions, like the “over-crowded trains” in Bombay or “hungry children” in Germany, evoke sensory and emotional experiences.
- Anecdote: Personal stories, such as stealing guavas or studying agriculture, make the narrative relatable and engaging.
- Contrast: Between Lakhia’s reluctance to dance and her eventual passion, or between societal restrictions and her defiance, highlighting her growth.
- Symbolism: The “dangling arms” in Duvidha symbolise emotional confusion, while the senses in Panch Paras represent self-awareness.
- Reflective Tone: Lakhia’s introspective voice connects past experiences to present insights, giving the essay depth and coherence.
Also Read: NCERT Notes Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 7: Glory at Twilight (Free PDF)
Class 11 English Essay 7: Bridges Summary
The essay Bridges by Kumudini Lakhia is a reflective memoir that explores how her life experiences shaped her career as a dancer and choreographer. Below is a detailed summary of the key points clearly and concisely:
An Unlikely Dancer
Lakhia begins by noting her younger self would be incredulous at her dance career, as she was not “born to dance” but pushed into it by her mother. Her early Kathak lessons in Bombay, under Guru Sunder Prasad, were a struggle, involving long commutes and an unwilling child. Inspired by a film dance sequence by Mumtaz Ali, her mother saw her potential and endured hardships to ensure her training.
A Multifaceted Childhood
Lakhia’s childhood was shaped by India’s independence movement, World War II, and her father’s engineering work, leading to relocations across Delhi, Naini, and Allahabad. An anecdote about stealing guavas from Liaquat Ali’s garden highlights early lessons in human behaviour. At nine, she was sent to Queen Mary’s College in Lahore, where her mother arranged for dance lessons to continue, despite Lakhia’s preference for sports. She admired the discipline of her British teachers, which influenced her thinking.
A Turning Point
At 14, the sudden loss of her mother profoundly impacted Lakhia, leaving her with feelings of confusion and hunger that later appeared in her choreography, such as Duvidha. This piece explores a woman’s conflicting emotions within societal constraints, reflecting Lakhia’s own struggles with identity and desire.
An Unconventional Path
After excelling in her exams, Lakhia chose to study agriculture in Allahabad, navigating gender dynamics in a male-dominated class. Her experiences, like wearing shorts and defying norms, shaped her views on the dignity of the female body, a theme in her dance. Arguments with her grandmother about religion inspired Panch Paras, a piece exploring the five senses.
A Dance Career Takes Shape
A chance encounter with Komlata Dutt led Lakhia to join the Ram Gopal Dance Company in London, exposing her to diverse dance forms like Bharatanatyam, kummi, ghumar, and dandia. Ram Gopal’s emphasis on perfecting technique before experimenting became a cornerstone of her teaching. Touring post-war Europe, particularly Germany, taught her about context, influencing her choreography’s adaptability.
Balancing Home and Art
Returning to India, Lakhia married Rajanikant, a supportive husband who fostered her love for music. As a mother to Shriraj and Maitreyi, she balanced domestic responsibilities with her career, despite societal expectations. Her children’s differing views on her profession highlight the diversity within her family, likened to performing with a dance troupe.
Moral of the Essay
Below are the key moral lessons from the essay:
- Life experiences, even painful ones, shape artistic expression, forming “bridges” between personal growth and creativity.
- Discipline and perseverance can transform reluctance into passion, as seen in Lakhia’s dance journey.
- Challenging societal norms, particularly around gender, empowers individuals to redefine their roles and art.
- Curiosity and openness to diverse experiences foster innovation and self-discovery in any field.
Download more NCERT Solutions of Class 11 English ‘Woven Words’ here!
| Essay 1: My Watch |
| Essay 2: My Three Passions |
| Essay 3: Patterns of Creativity |
| Essay 4: Tribal Verse |
| Essay 5: What is a Good Book? |
Explore Notes of Other NCERT Class 11 Subjects
| Geography | History | Political Science | Psychology | Sociology |
FAQs
The essay illustrates how Lakhia’s life experiences, family, loss, education, and global exposure formed “bridges” to her dance career, transforming her from an unwilling student into a renowned choreographer.
She uses “bridges” as a metaphor for the connections between her personal struggles, societal challenges, and choreography, showing how her life shaped her art.
Her mother’s belief in her potential and dedication to her training, despite hardships, laid the foundation for Lakhia’s dance career, even though she was initially reluctant.
Discipline, learned from British teachers and Ram Gopal, shapes Lakhia’s thinking and dance, emphasising the importance of structure in personal and artistic growth.
Lakhia critiques restrictions on women’s bodies and roles, reflected in her choreography, like Duvidha, which explores a woman’s conflict within societal norms.
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