Sheema Kermani

Sheema Kermani or Kirmani (born 1951) is a Pakistani social activist (Culture, Women's rights, Peace), the founder of Tehrik-e-Niswan Cultural Action Group (Women’s Movement) and an exponent of Bharatanatyam dance.[1][2] She is also a famous Pakistani Classical Dancer, Choreographer, Dance Guru, Theatre Practitioner, Performer, Director, Producer, TV Actor based in Karachi, Pakistan. Her pioneering contribution to the promotion of culture and theatrical performances in Pakistan since 1978 have lead to international acclaim.

Sheema Kermani
Kermani performing at the Sufi Conference in Sind
Known forActivist, theater director, actor, and classical dancer

Kermani was born into a middle-class educated family in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. She went to the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Karachi. Later she went to London to earn a degree in arts and returned to Pakistan. She realized that women in the Pakistani society were not able to get equality in the society so she started a movement called 'Tehrik-e-Niswan' (Women's Movement) and raised her voice for their rights, health issues, education and equality.[3]

Kermani's father was a Retired Brigadier from Pakistan Army and a Chairman of KESC(Karachi Electric Supply Corporation).[4] Her education was at convent schools where her father used to get posted.[4]

Kermani started learning Bharatanatyam in the mid-1960s. Her first solo performance was at Pakistan in 1984. In 1988, Sheema proceeded to India on an ICCR (Indian Council of Cultural Relations) scholarship and studied Bharatanatyam under Leela Samson, Kathak under Ram Mohan and Odissi under Guru Mayadhar_Raut and Aloka Pannikar.[5][6] She also conducts theater workshops under the guidance of theater director Prasanna Ramaswamy in Karachi and heads a cultural organization, Tehrik-e-Niswan in Karachi.[7]

Education

Ms Kermani was born on 16 January 1951 [8] in Rawalpindi in an Army family. She received her early education from Presentation Convent Rawalpindi. After doing 'O' Levels from Convent of Jesus and Mary, Karachi she completed her 'A' Levels from Karachi Grammar School and then proceeded to Croydon College of Art, London to study Fine Arts. She holds a degree of Bachelor of Arts from the University of Punjab, Lahore and a Masters and M Phil Degree in History from The University of Karachi where she is presently enrolled for PhD. [9]

When she was 8 years old Sheema started to learn Piano and western classical music, and from the age of 13 she began to learn classical Indian dance from Mr. and Mrs. Ghanshyam (a couple from Calcutta, who had set up a center for dance and music in Karachi). She later joined their institute as a member of their staff and performing troupe. Sheema Kermani was the only dancer in Pakistan throughout the years of General Zia- ul- Haq’s Martial Law, when dance was banned and came to be seen as an activity highly disliked by the state and the clergy. [10] [11]

2017 appearance

In 2017 Kermani appeared at the shrine of Sehwan Sharif after the barbaric suicide attack and performed dhamal (a Sufi dance form). She gave a passionate performance and told the media that nobody can stop music and dance.[12]

She performed at the Faiz Aman Mela, Lahore where she paid a tribute to Asma Jahangir. She said we can bring peace, harmony and equality by loving each other and by sharing the message of love with each other.

References
  1. "What went down at Aurat March 2019 in Karachi". Something Haute. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  2. "Arts Council hosts 4th Women's Peace Table Conference". The Express Tribune. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  3. "Identity, Performance and Gender in Pakistan". Michigan State University Museum. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  4. Magsi, Mariam (12 January 2016). "I think Muslim men see my dancing as a challenge to them, says Sheema Kermani". Images. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  5. "Sheema Kermani". Wiki Peace Women.
  6. "Sheema Kermani". The Hindu..
  7. Qamar, Saadia (3 July 2011). "Tehrik-e-Niswan: Passage to India". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  8. "SHEEMA KERMANI". KarachiBiennale 2017. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  9. "founders & members, Tehrik-e-Niswan - Women's development through theatre & television". tehrik-e-niswan.org. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  10. Kermani, Sheema (17 February 2011). "Interview of Guru Ghanshyam by Sheema Kermani". NARTHAKI - gateway to the world of dance). Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  11. Hasan, Shazia (4 April 2008). "Celebrating nature through dance". DAWN Newspaper Pakistan). Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  12. Ali, Z (21 February 2017). "Nobody Can Stop Music & Dance: Sheema Kermani". The Express Tribune). Retrieved 9 April 2019.
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