Edwina: An Unsung Bollywood Dancer of the Golden Era

If you are a fan of Hindi movies of the Golden Age, and who isn't, you must have wondered about all those dancers. I don't mean the famous ones such as Helen, Bela Bose, Minu Mumtaz, Laxmi Chhaya and Madhumati. I am talking about the other male and females mostly in the background, who almost never got close-ups, but were seen in almost every group dance. You may have heard some of their names because, once in a while, they get a famous song or two to show their talents, for example, Herman Benjamin ('jaan pehchaan ho' from the film Gumnam). Or, because some of them become famous Choreographers, for example, Vijay-Oscar or Saroj Khan. Do you know the long haired lady with a beautiful smile that shows up as the zulfonwaalee in the beginning of the song 'o haseenaa zulfonwaalee' from Teesri Manzil? She is later seen lying down on the crescent moon with her hair flowing and a tiny Helen far away. She is Edwina Violette, known as Edu on facebook, originally from Sankli Street, Byculla, now settled in London, UK. This is the story of her amazing life, her adventures in Bollywood and her struggles to find happiness in a foreign land.