She strides across two apposing worlds — the academic and the artistic. With her focus on Civil Services, she balances her passion for dance, music and cinematography. Meet this young girl, fit to be an icon for today’s youth, Srijani Bhaswa Mahanta! What makes Srijani so special, you may wonder. Well for one, her multi-talented persona is not one to seek instant gratification, which sets her apart from the rest of her tribe. A trained musician, Srijani felt her calling in the Sattriya dance, an ancient genre which ironically was the last to be bestowed the classical status. Her perseverance to pursue her passion doesn’t stop at giving performances and walking away with accolades. “I want to create an awareness about this deep rooted dance which is the pride of Assam culture,” her eyes light up at the thought of her homeland. “It’s pathetic that my college-mates and many others I come across in the capital have no clue about Sattriya as an art form; for that matter, they have very little inkling of Assam. They broadly refer to us as north-east. I’m a Political Science Honours from Lady Shriram College, now pursuing coaching for Civil Services,” she introduces herself briefly. You are bound to raise your eyebrows and ask, “You are a dancer and want to propagate your dance, won’t the academic path you have chosen be a hindrance in future?”
“I don’t think so. I’m aiming for the Civil Services so that I have a scope to serve my people better; definitely not for power or position. My father, Bhaskar Mahanta is an Inspector General of Police and also deep into arts like script-writing, community policing and social activities. He was also a performer of Sattriya. My mother, Swapnali Mahanta is making films; she has her own production house. They are my inspiration,” the sparkle of idealistic young mind is voiced in her expressive eyes.
Enlightening us a little about Sattriya dance and its origin, she says, “This art form was born in Sattra(s) or Vaishnava monasteries which were prevalent in the 15th century. Shankar Dev, a neo-Vaishnavite established these Hindu monasteries and found a theatrical art which was a ritual in propagation of the cult. Initially it was confined to male members of the Sattra. Later on, a few individual pieces were interspersed by Madhava Deva. These integrated the other fine arts and were visually appealing. From here it took off as a performing Sattriya, though the dichotomy between the two still exists. My family belonged to Upper Assam Sattra and my grandfather was a Sattradhikar (headman). As a kid, I was exposed to villagers doing the Sattriya dance which I found was very appealing . I was learning music but then as I grew up I knew that dance was the earliest form of embodied communication. I began my formal training under Padma Shri awardee guru Ghanakantha Bora Borbayen . This dance is done to the rhythm (percussion) of Khol. There is a lot of scope for improvisation keeping the grammar intact. That is the beauty of ancient art forms.”
The classical status apart, Srijani is concerned about the future of Sattriya which continues to be an oral form. “All the great masters have already gone and there is no documentation whatsoever. Dance forms like Kathak have their gharana; we have none,” she says wistfully.
Srijani debuted as an assistant director for a documentary film on an ULFA terrorist who has reformed and took to social engineering and community consultation. It will go to film festivals next year. Social consciousness, artistic fervour and intellect to crack disparities in amicable terms are the driving forces that spur her towards achieving all that needs to be with perfection and perseverance.
