A Bharatanatyam dance teacher, Hetal is working hard to promote Bharatanatyam.

Hetal Bhavesh Jariwala is the Director of Zankar Academy of Bharatanatyam in Surat. She has been a Bharatanatyam exponent  for 24 years.

Hetal was born and brought up in Surat. She started dancing when she was only five years old. Her parents sent her to dance classes when she was in fifth class. She used to participate in different competitions and received many awards. She says she was always interested in dance and wanted to become a dance teacher only. She gave her graduation exam in dance and 10th board exam together.

Talking about the journey in her life, Hetal says that she loves to teach dance. She is also regularly invited as a judge in different dance competitions like Bharatanatyam, Garba and folk dances. She also takes her students to different places for competitions.

Sharing about the struggles in her life, Hetal says that due to financial problems in her family, she and her sister used to give drawing classes at home to support her father. After her marriage, it took eleven years for her to conceive a baby. During this period, she was extremely depressed and under stress. Hetal says that it was dance that supported her emotionally and gave her relief from stress. But with the support of her husband and parents-in-law, she was able to solve all her problems and manage them easily.

When asked about role models in her life, Hetal says that she considers her parents and her sister who always motivated her and supported her, as her role models. She also considers her husband and in-laws who are extremely supportive of her as her mentors.

When free, Hetal likes to learn different styles of dance, do choreography and translate the South Indian language used in Bharatanatyam to understand their meaning. She also likes to stitch clothes in her spare time.

To everyone, Hetal says that first, they should be fully capable in their work and then only pass it on to others. Also, they should keep patience and should not hurry to come on stage.

Hetal's success mantra is to keep herself fit and live a healthy life. She feels that life is too short and advises us to do what we like most. Also, we should never mind if people try to pull us down.