A young farmer young farmer from a village in the Bulandshahr district UP came in the limelight due to his passion for dancing. Vineet Kumar, aka 'Khomcha (a big basket made with twigs),' has become a local sensation after recently featuring on a famous dancing reality show.
"I enjoy being happy, having fun and dancing. I try to infuse dance into everything I do," Vineet explains as he sits on his farm, which also serves as his dance studio. Vineet integrates many dance styles in his performances despite having very little professional dancing training. "While working in my fields, I watch dancing moves and rehearse them," he adds.
Pursuing a passion for dance as a 22-year-old who is the only brother of seven sisters from a debt-ridden family of farmers is as difficult as it gets. Vineet took a leap of faith into dance over five years ago after being rusticated from his school, with no support from his family and just sniggers from the villagers. "After failing class 11 twice, I was expelled from school. Everyone was upset around me, but I was delighted because I was able to devote my time to farming and dance," he adds.
Vineet focused on farming to support his family while continuing to dance to keep his head in the right place.
"Dancing assisted me in overcoming obstacles in my life and maintaining a strong outlook on the circumstance I was in. Dancing takes me to a pleasant world where everything appears to be under control," he adds.
Vineet's dancing practice, which he conducts with a pair of small rechargeable speakers, helped him gain some local popularity, but his biggest achievement was receiving a call from a prominent dance reality programme. "I went to Delhi and then to Mumbai, where I performed on a reality program for nearly a month." Vineet, who returned to his hometown over a month ago, describes it as "probably the best moment of my life to date. After a few rounds, I was evicted, but I learned a lot. I'll keep working on my dancing since it's now a part of who I am."
His life has undoubtedly been altered as a result of the dancing reality program. The teachers at the school where he was rusticated are now demanding for him to be felicitated, and the villagers who mocked him are now trailing him for a selfie.
Firoz Khan, an assistant teacher at a government primary school, has also offered to help Vineet pursue his dream.
Despite his increased fame, Vineet still considers himself a farmer who cannot leave his town behind, and the people who always supported him.
