Queen Harish
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Queen Harish | |
|---|---|
 Queen Harish during a dance performance | |
| Born | Harish Kumar 1979 |
| Died | 2 June 2019 (aged 39–40) Jodhpur, Rajasthan |
| Cause of death | Road accident |
| Occupation | Dancer |
| Known for | Rajasthani folk dances |
| Children | 2 |
Harish Kumar (Hindi: रानी हरीश) (1979 – 2 June 2019) commonly known as Queen Harish or Rani Harish was a folk dancer and Choreographer. He was from Rajasthan, India. Harish was a person who worked to save or protect the lost traditional Rajasthani folk dance. His performances include various Rajasthani folk dances such as Ghoomar, Kalbelia, Chang and Bhawai.[1]
Early life[change | change source]
Harish Kumar was born in 1979 in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan to a family of people who build furniture and other things out of wood. They belonged to the Suthar community.[1] Harish started dancing at the age of 13. His parents died at an early age, so he took up drag dancing, which mostly involves wearing clothes that are commonly associated with the opposite sex. He did it to support his sisters with money.[2] Harish says,
“I am a man, who chooses to dance for a living. That's a reality that I will never ignore. I chose to make the Queen part more regal and not comical.”[3]
He was inspired by 'Annu Master' who had performed the first drag dance of Jaisalmer region, he started learning drag dance from him.[1] He also practiced American tribal style belly dancing and Dancing in which dancers dance around a vertical pole, to make his body to perform all feminine movements.[2]
Career[change | change source]
Harish has performed Ghoomar, Kalbelia, Chang, Bhawai, Chari and other folk dances of Rajasthan state in about 60 countries.[4][5] He also taught Choreography to more than 2,000 dance students in Japan.[5] His performance was one of the highlights of the Jaipur Literary Mela which takes place once in a year. He has participated in the Raqs Congree in Brussels, the Belly Dancing Festival in Seoul and the Desilicious in New York City.[6][7] In 2010, he has appeared in the reality television program 'India Got Talent' and went on to become the semi finalist.[8] He has also appeared in several Bollywood movies such as Upadapdu (2003), Jai Gangajal (2016) and The Accidental Prime Minister (2019).[9] In 2007, he appeared in British Movie director Jasmine Dellal's documentary When the Road Bends… Tales of a Gypsy Caravan.[7] In association with the government of Rajasthan, he ran a daily evening program in Jaisalmer called 'Queen Harish Program'. He had also been invited to perform at Isha Ambani pre-wedding celebrations in Udaipur in December 2018. In that wedding he was seen dancing with Aishwarya Bachchan's daughter.[8][1]
Personal life[change | change source]
Harish was married to a woman and had two sons. On 2 June 2019, He was killed in a road accident on a highway in Kaparda village near Jodhpur in Rajasthan along with 3 other artists when they were travelling with other artists from Jaisalmer to Ajmer in a SUV car. He was 39 years old at the time of his death.[10]
Reacting to his death, the Chief minister of Rajasthan at that time, Ashok Gehlot said,
“Harish gave a new identity to Jaisalmer with his different dance style. His death is a big loss to the field of folk art.”[10]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Obituary | Queen Harish, India's 'Dancing Desert Drag Queen'". The Wire. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 ""Life is a stage and I'm here to dance"". The Times of India. 16 August 2015. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ↑ Nast, Condé (3 June 2019). "Who was Queen Harish?". Condé Nast Traveller India. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ↑ "Rajasthan's famous folk dancer Queen Harish dies in a road accident". The Times of India. 2 June 2019. ISSN 0971-8257.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Asnani, Rajesh (6 June 2019). "Jaipur diary: Rajasthan mourns folk dancer Queen Harish". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ↑ "Queen Harish of Jaisalmer, Traditional Dancers from Jaisalmer". Jaisalmer Online.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Roy, Sandip (22 July 2008). "Queen Harish dances in drag". SFGate. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Rajasthan's popular folk dancer Queen Harish dies in an accident. Watch his old videos". Scroll.in. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ↑ "Harish - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Famous folk dancer Queen Harish, three other artists pass away in an accident near Jodhpur". The Economic Times. 3 June 2019. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 9 February 2019.