In a word

Pandit Nityananda Misra, a prolific writer of Sanskrit dance productions, feels the language has helped Odissi gain popularity.

May 15, 2014 08:12 pm | Updated 08:12 pm IST - new delhi

One of today’s most reputed writers of poetry, lyrics and scripts, Pandit Nityananda Misra, the renowned Odia and Sanskrit scholar, is the backbone of a large number of successful dance dramas and performances of acclaimed and budding Odissi dancers. Odisha Sanskrit Academy has conferred on him the title Kaviratna in recognition of his contribution to poetry. While in Kolkata for the premiere of his dramatic adaptation of the legend “Padmavati” he shared his journey. Extracts from a conversation:

How did you set about writing for dance productions?

Since my father is a great lover of Sanskrit, he encouraged me to study this beautiful language. I did Sanskrit (Honours) and then MA in Sanskrit. For a short time I was a lecturer in a government college, but gave it up as my father needed my help in managing our family business. I quit my job, but did not lose my interest in Sanskrit. All this time, I was simply an admirer and a passive spectator of classical dance recitals. In 2006, Dr Subas Pani, then Chief Secretary of Odisha, who carried out research on Jayadeva’s Gitagovindam , involved me in his project titled “Sampoorna Gitagovinda”. I went deeper and deeper into the ocean of culture. Since understanding Sanskrit texts is very important to Odishi dancers, I started helping them grasp the meaning of the text and getting the pronunciation right. After observing various Odissi performances for a few years I started writing lyrics and scripts both in Sanskrit and Odia.

Which theme subject appeals you?

I am fond of traditional subjects like legends and ancient stories as these are the essential components of our culture, though I am not averse to new subjects. I personally feel traditional subjects go well with a traditional dance performance and it is important that we carry this tradition forward. However, experiments are always welcome, otherwise literature would be impoverished. If done properly, these can also produce excellent results.

You tend What leads you to insert shlokas in choreographic items like Guru Ratikant’s recent production “Geetamritam” where the essence of Gita was projected…

A dance production is staged for a limited duration and the text should be relevant, appropriate and justify every moment for the relishing of the rasa. The Bhagavad Gita has about 700 shlokas. One has to choose the appropriate and important shlokas capable of depicting the essence of the entire story in a short duration. While scripting a popular subject like the Bhagavad Gita one should also keep in mind that it is always desirable to include the shlokas that are already popular. The credit for the selection of shlokas in “Geetamritam” goes to Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. His dance composition was originally designed as a duet, performed by Sanjukta Panigrahi and Kumkum Mohanty. But the concept underlying “Geetamritam” is a little different. As it was a group composition, we thought certain insertions would be more meaningful and complete the theme. So an invocation to Vyasadeva and Krishna was included in the beginning. At the end of the recital the Gita Mahaatmyam was also added. This lent the group production a sense of completeness.

Over the years, has interest in Sanskrit texts decreased among dancers?

I don’t think so. Sanskrit texts like Jagannatha-swami and Geetagovindam have been embedded so much in Odissi that it is difficult to imagine Odissi without Sanskrit texts. In fact, dancers are showing more and more interest in Sanskrit texts as this language is not confined to any particular region. Sanskrit has a unique contribution in popularising Odissi beyond the boundaries of Odisha. I am convinced that learning Sanskrit always helps. Unless a dancer understands the meaning of every word of the lyric, it is not possible to do justice to a dance composition. In abhinaya, without grasping the text clearly, proper enacting of the bhavas for a perfect performance is out of the question. Since most old Odia songs are rich in Sanskrit words, knowledge of this language would prove very useful.

What is ‘manoranjan’?

I think ‘manoranjan’ is not an Indian concept. The contribution of Indian scholars to the world of performances is the theory of ‘rasa’. According to Indian poetics, dance is a ‘drishya-kavya’. Viswanatha Kaviraja, the author of Sahitya Darpana , defines kavya as “vakyam rasatmakam kavyam”. Rasa is the soul of any kavya or a work of literature, and the purpose of literature is to create rasa in the hearts of the viewers. Otherwise, it fails to qualify as kavya. This is precisely why the viewers are called rasikas. Relishing rasa is considered to be of a higher level than manoranjan or entertainment.

What about your recent research work are your current projects?

As I am active in our family business, it is difficult for me to find time for extensive research. However, currently I am working on the scientific aspects of Rigveda. People generally dismiss the Vedas as religious texts, but if you go deep into the meaning of the hymns, you will be simply amazed to find how the seers could acquire so much knowledge on some of the fundamental principles of modern science.

My Sanskrit poems “Gananayaka-panchakam” and “Rama-vibhum namami”, etc. have been used in dance performances. The production of “Krisha-tandava-stotram”, a Sanskrit poem, and “Padmavati”, an Odia dance drama, are over and are being performed this month. Another Odia dance drama, “Bilwamangala” and a Sanskrit dance drama “Laghu-Ramayanam” are under production.

Apart from composing lyrics, I take pleasure in discovering unpublished Sanskrit texts written by lesser known poets. One such example is “Ekamra-leela” that I adapted from “Shivaleelamrita-mahakavyam” written by Agnichit Nityananda Pandita in the 18th century in Odisha. He has been greatly influenced by the genius of Jayadeva and has been successful in recreating the charm of the Gitagovinda in his poems. While preparing the script I had to add a few lines and take out some difficult lines to make it easier for the viewers. I hope that the poet in heaven will understand my intention and forgive me. This was performed at the National Konark Festival 2013 by the GKCM Odissi Research Centre and was highly appreciated. Now I am working on the adaptation of another mediaeval Sanskrit text. Preparation of scripts for a couple of Bharatanatyam recitals are also in progress. However, motivating Odia singers to pronounce Sanskrit correctly gives me great joy. I consider I receive blessings of Sri Jagannath when I do so.

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