The concluding performance of the 22nd Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival Bhubaneswar by the artistes of Srjan was a choreographic and musical marvel. “Tyaaga” (Sacrifice) was adapted by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra in the Geetinatya format based on the play “Lakhyahira” by Kartik Ghosh and scripted by Jaidev Das.
Geetinatya has a dialogue driven narrative story-telling format set with songs sung as free verses and a sutradhar explaining its progress. The dancers are generally trained in music where they can sing and dance. Here recorded music and narrations supported the dancers. In keeping with the format, the vibrant signature tune from an orchestra of dholaki, harmonium and clarinet ushers in the dancers, who are clad in glowing orange traditional Odissi costumes. On entering from two sides of the stage, dancers cross each other as the play begins with the narration. The Sutradhar seeks apology for any inadvertent mistakes, pays obeisance to Lord Jagannath and narrates the story.
Anusuya, the princess by irony of fate, is married to Bishnudas, cursed to a leper by his faithful wife Radha whom he had turned out. Radha became a high-class courtesan Lakhyahira whom Bishnudas and Anusuya meet by chance after years. Seeing the uncontrollable lust of Bishnudas for Lakhyahira, who demands thousand diamonds per night, the duty-bound and devoted Anusuya decides to sacrifice a night with the local king for thousand diamonds in order to offer the courtesan to fulfil her husband’s desire. Knowing the truth, the King gets transformed and addresses Anusuya as Mother and offers her the amount.
As the play unfolds, Lakhyahira is also able to transform Bishnudas who after a series of events is subsequently cured by the intervention of Lord Vishnu. The dramaturgy highlights few social issues and sets the nobility, sacrifice, purity and devotion of the two women as an example and sends a strong social message in the concluding line (Diyantu milani –sukhijaney Anusuyar tyagera kahini).
An example of choreographic delight and skill of animated beauty by the sensitive, excellently trained and thoroughly rehearsed dancers, the production boasts of matter, style and classical richness of Odissi. Instrumental and vocal music used in appropriate places intensifies the dramatic effect and pronounced textual and musical character.
There were no props or character costumes and every dancer played multiple roles. Hasta Mudras as Sarpashira was presented as the snake around Lord Shiva. Preetisha Mohapatra entering with quick kneeled-down movements and flapping hands made an amazing Garuda (also the King) with Ritu Sengupta as Lord Vishnu. Rajashri Praharaj’s excellent dancing and heart-wrenching abhinaya with a stoic charm of emotions as Anusuya, Aishwarya Singh Dev’s stately presence as impactful haughty courtesan with flashes of inner sentiments offered dramatic effects as did Sanjay Behera as leper, the demanding husband Bishnudas and Shiva in the temple. Sipra Swain, Ritu Sengupta, Riyanka Chakravarty and Pragyaparamita Das gave commendable support.
Ratikant Mohapatra has dignified “Tyaaga” with his special choreographic virtuosity to communicate the dance-drama with the specific expressions of the Odia Geetinatya, highly wrought in the classical Odissi dance vocabulary. The steps with superficial variations and additions of the Geetinatya mannerisms like the typical walk with long strides, striking one foot forward, raising of the hand with the “Mushti” (closed fists) and swings of the lower torso and Dongaria folk elements form the basis of all character dances in the play. With his passion for intellectual as well as geometric order the juxtaposition of walking and dancing brought into confrontation two different styles of performance.
The montage had an original score. The music by Lakshmikant Palit had sprightly rhythms and melodic charm that added detail and density to the aesthetics of the play and so did the light design by Jaidev Das and Debiprasad Misra.
Noted playback singers like Ira Mohanty (Anusuya), Tapu Misra (Lakhyahira) Lakshmikant Palit (King) and renowned vocalists Rupak Parida (father of Anusuya) and Bandish Palit (Bishnudas) added to the distinction of the production.
