I never wanted to be a great copy. I'd rather be a bad original," Aditi Mangaldas asserts. Watching the Kathak exponent converse with Odissi dancer Madhur Gupta in a virtual interview is a deeply enriching experience not only because she makes sense of her life and art but also because she touches upon crucial definitions. For instance, what constitutes the "classical" and "contemporary"? Mangaldas beautifully explains the two terms with an analogy of an ever-flowing river.

The interview is part of a series called In Pursuit of Excellence, curated by Gupta's Sangeet Vidya Niketan and hosted by Sahapedia, the Delhi-based encyclopedia of arts and culture. The series features 11 classical dance maestros from India. The first video was released on June 18 with Mangaldas and the last of the series is an interview with acclaimed Bharatanatyam artiste Alarmel Valli. "When the pandemic struck, social media was flooded with webinars on COVID-19. It kept getting sadder. I thought about how people need inspiring stories and also, this is a time to excel at your art," Gupta says. That's why the series is centred on excellence, as, through people who have achieved it, it hopes to highlight how excellence isn't achieved overnight.