Abhilasha Sharma - Initially, I Could Not Understand the Purpose of Spinning Two Balls on a String (Artist)

The idea behind starting Mandala Circle on insta was simple, to share my flow practice and showcase my performance to gauge my progress and accomplishment over the years. 

Tell us about your background and journey.

My name is Abhilasha Sharma, known as Mandala Circle on social media, I am a digital marketing consultant and content strategist alongside being fire a flow artist with my main flow props being poi and hoop. My flow journey started about 10 years back when I got introduced to poi and at that time I was quite sceptical as to what this thing is, as it was fairly new in India and I had never seen anything like it. 

Initially, I had no interest in it as I could not understand the purpose of spinning two balls on a string and also because I felt it’s something that looks extremely easy and can be done by anyone. 

And it was this intriguing curiosity to find out if that's true, I picked it up and started playing with it and instantly got hooked. Fortunately, I also started getting gigs to perform and teach for a flow-based company in Pune which gave me a lot of insight and exposure to this field. 

Even then I had no idea that flow arts would become such an integral part of my life. Over the years I went on to perform for tv shows and movies, weddings, music festivals, exhibitions, corporate events all across India and have taught poi and hoop to thousands of people. I still feel that my flow journey is still at a nascent stage and there is a long way to go.



What led you to start your page on Instagram and what is it about?

The idea behind starting Mandala Circle on insta was simple, to share my flow practice and showcase my performance to gauge my progress and accomplishment over the years. 

But it was later that I discovered that this platform helped me connect with a global flow community to share unique flow ideas and learn so much from them.



Why did you choose this career?

It’s actually the other way round as this career chose me. Working in the field of digital marketing, I always considered flow and fire as a side gig. Again being fortunate and lucky, I was always being called for gigs and performances. 

But it was two years ago when my health took a huge hit because of overwork at my corporate job that I made a conscious decision to switch for good and be a flow and fire artist full time. And I could not be happier with this decision.



Where do you get inspired to create art?

I gather most of my inspiration online and through social media platforms but some of the most pivotal inspiring figures in my life have been Racheal Sullivan, Linda Farkas, Stakanova Katya, Tim Goddard and Rajni Ramachandran just to name a few.

Which is your favourite book and why?

Naming my favourite book is difficult but I can tell you my favourite writers which are also quite a few but narrowing it down I’ll say Sadat Hasan Manto and R K Narayan. 

Manto for his exceptional short stories which are stark, hard-hitting and real yet so relatable even in today’s times and R K Narayan’s Malgudi Days for inducing a heavy dose of nostalgia which transports you back in time to your childhood.

Interviewed by - Saba Parveen