Smita disapproved of her friend being dismissed so lightly. She commented that Jhelum should prove her talent and make a claim to fame some day. Smita is no more but Jhelum treasures her friend's memory. And has proven her friend true. She has also named her dance school, Smitalay, meaning a place where Smita's presence will always reside.

Why Odissi?
As a child, my mother had tried making me learn Bharatnatyam and Kathak. But it did not appeal to me. I was a part of Rashtra Seva Dal, a folk dance troupe, touring the country. During one an Orissa tour, I came across Kala Vikas Kendra, where Guruji (Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra) was teaching. I was fascinated. Back in Mumbai, I saw Sanjukta Panigrahi perform. I decided this was one dance form that I have to learn. I started learning from Shankar Behra, Guruji's shishya.

Did Mahapatra teach you?
Yes. When Guruji was on a visit to Mumbai, he saw me dance and said, `Accha karti hai, aajao'. I started training with him, sometimes in Mumbai, sometimes in his house in Orissa.

When and why did you start Smitalay ?
My close friend Smita Patil died in 1986. The following year, I had a slipped disc. I could not dance for a whole year. This got me thinking. Suppose I couldn't dance again, what will happen to my years of training and learning? I had to make use of my knowledge and even if I couldn't dance, I could do something like group choreography. That's when I started Smitalay. In Smita's memory on October 17, 1989, commemorating her birth anniversary.

What is the objective?
At Smitalay, we have students who train to be professional dancers. But our objective was also to train dancers who may not take up the dance form professionally, whatever the reason, whether it's societal pressure or financial pressure. We have a lot of girls from the middle-class who cannot afford expensive workshops. Here, they can realise their dreams. These girls can occasionally perform in a group, or simply learn dance to enjoy themselves. We have students who are above 40 but want to learn Odissi just for the pleasure of it.

Do you adhere to traditional compositions or experiment with the dance style?
I began by taking traditional pieces and presenting it in a group form, choreographed in different patterns. For example, abhinaya is usually done solo, where the artist enacts various characters. I made the abhinayas into duets and group dances. I have also composed on Marathi songs, with the objective of promoting Odissi in Maharashtra, especially because this is not a popular dance form in this region.

Smitalay has always done something unique for International Women's Day every year. We have been doing it for the last five years. For example, the first such performance included four of my compositions and the entire show was organised by women. We even had a woman pakhawaj player. In the second year, we experimented by putting together dance and drama... This year, we presented Leelavati, where I have experimented with costumes. We have not used the traditional Odissi costume throughout.

Do you often receive criticism for deviating from the traditional form ?
For my first venture, I had invited Guruji. I performed in the Odissi style on a twelve-minute Marathi song. Guruji was extremely upset. For five days, I rushed to his workshop to be there before the other students only because I wanted him to talk about it. One day, Guruma (Guruji's wife) told him it was unfair to keep quiet. That day, he called me to tell me he did not like the performance. But the audience had liked it and if it was my aim to use a popular medium, I could go ahead. Today, he too composes on Marathi songs!