“There was a time when I tried to imitate Odissi legends like Kelucharan Mohapatra and Sanjukta Panigrahi while watching them on television. Then there were no Odissi dancers in my native place. But it was my sheer will and determination that helped me find a solid space in the ever growing world of Odissi,” recalled renowned dancer Madhulita Mohapatra.
Founder of Bangalore’s famed Nrityantar Dance Academy of Performing Arts, Madhulita and her team are in Palakkad to perform at the Chettur Sankaran Nair Memorial Dance and Music Festival on Sunday. “This is the first time I am performing Odissi for art appreciators in Palakkad. But I have great regard for connoisseurs of the region who nurtured Kathakali and other traditional Kerala art forms,” said Ms. Madhulita in an interaction with The Hindu .
The Odissi artiste, who struggled to pursue her passion and to set up the dance academy, said Bhawanipatna, her native place in Odisha, gave little patronage for Odissi though the dance form was an integral part of the local culture and tradition. It was at the age of five that Madhulita began learning Sambalpuri, a folk dance, and the process continued till she turned 14. It was a chance meeting with Guru Krushnachandra Sahoo a few years later in her home town that made the difference in her career. Against the wishes of her family, Madhulita began to learn Odissi under him.
By the age of 20, she moved to Bhubaneshwar to become a disciple of Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, Guru Aruna Mohanty, and Guru Pabitra Kumar Pradhan and to find a place of her own in the world of Odissi.
It was in 2009 that Madhulita started her own dance academy. Since then, it had been a journey devoting herself completely to the cause. Thanks to support from her husband Mohammad Imran, she settled down in Bangalore.
Beginning with just five students, the academy now has more than 500 learners. Apart from nurturing young talents in the field, Madhulita teaches Odissi to students at six government schools.
“When I came to Bangalore, children showed interest only in learning Bharatnatyam. But my continued persuasion made many of them turn to Odissi,” she said, adding that Odissi had now takers across the country.
The performance at Ottappalam will begin at 7.30 p.m. on Sunday.
