This dance form translates the heart, the soul, the body and its core muscle strength of the artist into kinetic movements of emotions and expressions, making it one of the most intense and dynamic Indian dance forms.
SPIC MACAY Karnataka Chapter sponsored the Mayurbhanj Chhau from Odisha. It is a folk Martial Arts dance, performed by Mayur Arts Centre, Bhuvaneswar at Satish Dhawan Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science.
SPIC MACAY, a non-profit, non-political, voluntary movement formed in 1977 by Dr. Kiran Seth, a professor at IIT- Delhi, strives to bring more awareness about traditional Indian values amongst students through increased exposure to the rich cultural heritage of India and to make education more holistic. With that objective, SPIC MACAY organized more than 7500 programmes in over 1500 schools and colleges in over 817 towns in India and abroad impacting more than two million students. SPIC MACAY Karnataka Chapter has been instrumental in organising performances of several stalwarts. Volunteers play a major role in this important work.
The team from the Mayur Art Centre, Pradip Kumar Mishra, Rama Naik, Dibar Naik (Senior), Birabal Mohanta, Aruna Behera, Rabindra Bindhani, Jyotisankar Mohapatra, Dibar Naik (Junior), Bajuram Tudu, Budheswar Munda performed three items, titled ‘The War Dance’, ‘Shiva Tandav’ and ‘Chakravyuh.’
The supporting musicians were - Surendra Soren on Dhol, Ashok Baitha on Mohauri (Shehnai like wind instrument), Baidyanath Ghunian on Chad Chadi and Yuvraj Dhada on Dhumsa).
Pradip Kumar Mishra, explained that “Chhau dance is an Indian tribal martial dance which is popular in Seraikella (Bihar), Purulia (West Bengal) and Mayurbhanj (Orissa). Based on the place of their origin and development, the three dance styles are called Seraikella Chhau, Mayurbhanj Chhau and Purulia Chhau. The two styles of Saraikela and Purulia use masks, but Mayurbhanj doesn’t. So, it showcases a distinctive appeal with wide range of movements and dynamic choreography. Technically it is richer than the other two styles. It is also called paika nrutya. The word paika is derived from the Sanskrit word padatika meaning the infantry - hence the name of the dance is paika (battle) nrutya (dance). The primary aim of this dance form is to develop physical strength, excitement and courage in the dancing warriors - the presiding deity of Mayurbhanj Chhau is Lord Bhairab ( Bhairav ).”
Talking about the beginning of his Centre, Pradip Mishra said: “The Mayur Art Centre was founded in 1980 by Late Devendra Naik Pattnaik who was Secretary, Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi, who authored the books like ‘Abhinaya Darpan’, ‘Bharatiya Kala’. The Centre is devoted to the training, preservation, performance and research of Mayurbhanj Chhau.
The Centre receives support from Govt of India which offers stipend to the students, but it is not sufficient. He appealed to all the philanthropists and art promoters to support their cause.
The three dance themes presented :
‘The War Dance’ as the very title conveys, opened with loud drum beats and thumping steps of the dancers in their typical war attire holding shields and swords. The war dance was composed in 1912 by Late Ram Chandra Bhanj, the then ruler of Mayurbhanj on the arrival of the King George V, the ruler of England. This is a form of rehearsals of battle through dance movements. Their daredevilry left the audience gasping and that set the mood for the items to follow next.
Shiv Tandav - In Hindu theology Shiva is the god of dancing. Through dance he creates, preserves and destroys, which is the cyclic process of the world. In dance these three dominant moods are delineated by various yogic postures and vigorous movements. The dancer who performed as Shiva had a certain aura around him, that comes with serious dedication and concentration. His gestures, spiral movements and foot work brought the stage alive.
Chakravyuha
The dance depicted an episode from the Mahabharatha, the great epic based on the war between the Kauravas and Pandavas. Chakravyuha is the name for a complicated war strategy by which the enemy forms a circle. It is a challenge to the opponent to penetrate the circle. But only few of the members from either group had the knowledge and the expertise.
This ‘Chakravyuha’ took the audience to a pinnacle of excitement and involvement. The final scene of Abhimanyu getting killed was so overwhelmingly natural, it left many teary eyed.
Prof. Ananth Ramaswamy, who coordinates on behalf of IISc with SpicMacay in organizing these Events was exuberant and veracious in his observation. He said:
In this rapidly changing world, the internet and the glamour world have created a disconnect among the youth with the traditional art forms which have been the inner strength and fabric of India. It is this chasm that is being bridged by the yeoman service being rendered by SPICMACY by reaching out to the youth of this nation.”
Om Puri Gosain Research Scholar at ICER, IISc ‘ The best thing is that we young people get the opportunity to volunteer the programs. The war dance depicted, how war rehearsals were being conducted. The Chakravyuh dance seemed a real one. The live musical instruments were fantastic. I was glad that they didn't use any recordings. The music and dance co-ordination was goose bumping. Depiction of "Veer rasa" could be clearly seen. Such programmes should be conducted more often”.
