Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Unni (retd) and his dance partner, Shreya Shah, recently represented India on a global stage at the World Tango Championship in Buenos Aires. This annual event, held from August 19-27, saw the duo as the only Indian pair among 750 couples from 53 countries.
The adventure began four-and-a-half years ago when Unni, who was accustomed to salsa spins, inadvertently walked into a tango class in Pune. What started as an unintended diversion soon evolved into a profound passion for the dance form.
The couple trained rigorously
At 69, Unni, a retired general who led the Armed Forces Medical Services until October 2017, and Shah, a homemaker with a master’s degree in economics, trained rigorously for this prestigious event. Over the last four months, the pair devoted four hours each day to perfecting their tango skills.
“We finished the preliminary rounds and advanced through two more rounds with commendable scores from the judges. Although we did not advance to the semi-finals, we are extremely pleased with our performance, considering it was our first appearance on the world stage,” Unni shared with the Hindustan Times from Buenos Aires.
Shreya, reflecting on their experience, told Argentine daily La Nacion, “Being here is a dream come true. The competition was fierce, and the experience of dancing alongside participants from countries such as Russia, China, Japan, Korea, and Indonesia exceeded our expectations.”
Unni, an alumnus of the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, was commissioned into the Army Medical Corps in February 1977. He previously served with the elite 9 Para (Special Forces) as a regimental medical officer from 1979 to 1981. Despite his illustrious military career, it was the challenge of tango that brought him and Shah to this international arena.
