Spinning Against the Odds

“I was just a young teenager when I was smuggled into the trunk of a car headed to Pushkar,” Suwa Devi recalls with a sparkle in her eye. “I wanted to dance in the film by the foreign director, but I wasn’t selected at the audition. The Manganiyar musicians felt bad for me, so they secretly took me along.”

The next day, Suwa Devi bravely jumped in front of the director and his team. “They were so shocked to see me,” she laughs. “But they admired my courage and decided to film my dance anyway.” 

Today, Suwa Devi is a respected middle-aged artist of the Kalbeliya community and world-renowned as the young spinning girl in the film Latcho Drom by French director Tony Gatlif. Though she wasn’t supposed to be in the film, her bold spirit and persistence turned her into one of its most remarkable performers. Since then, dancers from across the globe have traveled to Rajasthan to meet her.

Yet, her life hasn’t been a fairytale. After the passing of folklorist and impresario Komal Kothari, her international performances came to a sudden halt. These days, she performs mostly during the four-month tourist season. The rest of the year, unemployment looms large.

Still, Suwa Devi and her husband Sheshnath have never stopped dreaming. When she was ready to marry, Suwa made it clear—her husband must live with her family, treat her as an equal, and support her dancing. Sheshnath, who had no skills then, promised to learn. And he did. He mastered the been (a traditional wind instrument), percussion, and even began crafting jewelry, instruments, and performance accessories.

As they grew their family, they longed for a home of their own. City life was too expensive, and they wanted to live closer to nature. So, they bought a small piece of land about 25 kilometers outside Jodhpur. Bit by bit, they saved money to bring water, electricity, and build a basic road. Inspired by their determination, many Kalbeliya relatives joined them. That patch of land is now a village called Dhola, home to around 50 families.

Suwa and Sheshnath now dream of growing their entire community further—sharing not just their music and dance, but also the unique crafts of the Kalbeliya people.

They have all the talent. What they need now is support—with operations, marketing, and a stage to shine on once again.