Among her notable performances was in Tagore's dance drama Chitrangada (where she played the role of the heroine in 1990) and Shurjomukhi Nadi in 1995.

Kasturi's art has also taken her to distant lands. In November 2005, she winged off to China for a performance. Recently she went to Japan, Myanmar, Malaysia and Turkey as part of a Bangladeshi cultural delegation. Up next is a trip to Italy early February where a group of folk dancers from Bangladesh will participate in a dance festival in Rome and Sicily.

Kasturi also dons the hat of a Bharatnatyam teacher. She teaches the dance form at the Greendale International School as well as at her Nataraj Academy (with 15 students). "Unlike other institutes, my students can practice a whole day. I want my students to develop an equal love for dance as me," says Kasturi.

And that's not all. Twice a year she makes her way to Kolkata, more specifically her revered Bharatnatyam guru Thankamani Kutty, to refine her creative skills. "I go to learn new items from guruji such as Natraj Anjali, Shiva Astakam, Natanam Adinam and others," says an enthusiastic Kasturi. Explaining her preceptor's forte, she says, "I am a great admirer of her dance and teaching styles. She keeps in mind that I am from Bangladesh. Though the distance between the airport (near where I stay) and guruji's house in Gariahat is a one and a half hour drive, I feel highly motivated to make this journey."

Kasturi firmly believes that folk dance is a popular medium in Bangladesh because it speaks to people with rural roots. Talking about this genre, she says that there is a wide and appealing variety of folk dances--among them Dhan Kata (performed in the harvest festival), fishermens' and snake charmers' dance.

Folk dances score over classical dances such as Bharatnatyam, she asserts, because the songs are in Bangla, while in the latter the language is unfamiliar. However, she strongly believes that all dances are based on the classical art.

Kasturi has her favourites in Bangladesh's dance firmament. Among the folk dancers, she mentions the names of Kabirul Islam Ratan and Sohail Rahman, while she also appreciates Minu Haque's Odissi dance.

Far from sitting back and taking a breather, Kasturi has ambitious goals for the future. Her dream is to expand her academy and make room for 100 students. Her message for upcoming talents: "Love your art and take pains to perfect your technique."