Odissi dancers from different parts of the country, belonging to the Guru Debaprasad Das gharana, paid rich tributes to the doyen of Odissi in Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar, on his 31st death anniversary recently. The Shradhanjali Samaroha organised by Tridhara an institution founded by Debaprasad at Bhubaneswar, had back-to-back performances starting from 9 in the morning to the 9 at night under the able guidance of of Guru Gajendra Panda.
The programme began by paying floral tributes and garlanding of the statue of the great maestro at the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya. This was followed by an enjoyable, rhythmic, colourful Ranapa dance (traditional folk dance on stilts) by young dancers of Angahara Nrutyayana, Berhampur with traditional music of muhuri (wind instrument), drums and large brass cymbals. Thereafter, these dancers moved in procession on stilts with the dignitaries to the main venue at Rabindra Mandap for the performances. The festival showcased students of three generations of Gurus and also choreographers of the Debaprasad style including those of his seniormost disciples. Forty one institutions participated in group and solo presentations in three sessions.
The performances began with Vishnu Vandana by the junior group of Tridhara. Thereafter, the senior students of Tridhara, performed a scintillating “Panchadeva Namastute”, choreographed by Gajendra Panda, sung and set to mellifluous music by Laxmikant Palit. Beginning with a the skilful Ganesh Vandana, “Tandava Nritya Karey Gajananey”, they paid obeisance in “Govindam Gokulanandan” to Lord Narayan, to Rudra and Ambikay in “Prabhuprananathanam Jagannathanam”, concluding with “Tamah Surya Pranamyaham” by saluting Bhaskar.
The dancers did vary in their performance levels. A number of common pieces like “Ganga Taranga” choreographed by Gajendra Panda were presented by the four groups, but the one by Nrutyashree appealed. Since the main aim is to pay homage to the Guru through dance, the judgement of excellence in this case becomes secondary even though an idea of the adaptability, skills and competence of both the learner and the teachers comes to fore.
Nevertheless some of the choreographed pieces and solos need mention. Durga Charan Ranbir’s “Shiva Stuti” by Satabdi Nrityayan, Kolkata, “Shiva Aradhana” by Nataraj Kala Niketan and “Vindhyagiribasini” by Manoj Pradhan’s students stood out for their execution. Nrityagram, Ranchi impressed with their still poses and white and red-bordered Odissi costumes in “Durga Tandava”. Jyotikala Kendra dancers too had lovely blue green costumes to match their enjoyable “Meghamedura” interspersing it with intricate pallavi in the piece “Varsha”. Kala Vikash Kendra, Cuttack lived up to its reputation with a fine rendition of “Ragesree Pallavi” composed by Gajendra Panda.
Crisp movements
Dancers of Tribhanga Kala Niketan led by Vikram Samal captivated with their crisp movements, technique and impressive costumes in “Mano Udharana”. Their still poses of the deities of Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra need special mention. “Mahakali Dhyan” by Sanskruti Kala Niketan, Hyderabad, choreographed by Gajendra Panda, showed confidence. Among the abhinaya pieces, veteran Dr. Sujata Mishra, inspite of her large frame did full justice to “Bajilani bajibo”. Vidhya Das impressed with “Mohaney Dili Chahibo” and Gayatri Chand excelled with her soul-stirring Ashtapadi “Yahi Madhava”. Tridhara’s concluding numbers, “Om Gananatha Ganapati” and “Laksminrusingha Dhyan” in raga Lalit, adapted from Prahlad Natak were rendered with vitality and confidence were highly enjoyable.
