The inside story

From traditional to contemporary, Srjan’s Antardrishti told many engaging stories through Odissi.

IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION A scene from the performance

Srjan’s two-day sojourn in New Delhi was a journey into aesthetic arena. ‘Antardrishti’ (Inner Vision) as this dance fest was named, is a tribute by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra and the Bhubaneswar-based school to its founder-Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra on his 91st birth anniversary.

Day one showcased Ratikant’s choreographies, an outward journey of his father’s (Guru Kelucharan) inner vision. The four individual group dances were refined version of an aesthetic dance genre, the Odissi. In a nutshell, Srjan under Ratikant is what Kalakshetra was in the hands of Rukmini Devi. Every nerve and sinew of the dancer and the entire group oozes aesthetics. If ‘Arthanareeswar’ set to Adi Sankaracharya’s verses eulogising the fused deity illustrating the male-female principle inherent in nature through pairs of dancers moving in tandem as one unit freezing like temple frescos, the pure rhythm dance to mnemonics was creativity and synchronisation at its best.

The Abhang (Namdev’s

bhakta jana vatsale ...) was a cut above the rest of such Abhangs in other dance forms for more than one reason – Odissi by virtue of its fluidity is easily expressible of the bhajan mode without repetitive strokes that usually happen in other genres; secondly, Ratikant’s handling of the content was impressive and percolated to the audience. ‘Vishwas’ was a secular, philosophical piece which addressed the essence of all religions in an artistic tone. Ratikant emerges as a choreographer with his hand on the pulse of the present day audience, going by the pace of the footwork, music and mime; for most part he doesn’t deviate from tradition but juxtaposed to his father’s works which were also culled and refined from their original amorphous state into a classical, aesthetic idiom, Ratikath’s style is rightly ‘neo-classical’ as he himself likes to state since it strips the ‘classic’ of detailed narrative and theatrics leaving the dance to speak for itself. He ventures to be more assertive, sleek and modern with simplistic style in costume and stage setting. This sophistry is in keeping with the times and the new aficionados.

The two dances – Vande Mataram and Sita Apaharan solo (day two) choreographed by guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, with a little adaptation by Ratikant, were classical to the core in as much as they carried the Kelubabu brand of artistry – the quaint art of antiquity where there is a harmonious blend of clarity, aesthetics and above all universality that enthrals the audience, cutting across times. In trying to refine, which also means fast-track dance, there is every possibility of eschewing certain vital aspects like the ‘torso swerve’ which was characteristic of Kelucharan school. Though individually, the pieces were markedly superb in stylistics, there was no common thread to tie them as a whole; most of them were standalone items and in such cases, the excellence that is showcased passes away without proper appreciation since the emotive element leaves no time to sink into the audience’s sensibilities. A mechanical applause at the end of every piece is no benchmark for actual appreciation.

Rajashri Praharaj’s “Sita Apaharan”, a solo where she dons many roles apart from that of Sita, proved to be a versatile artiste both on the nritta and natya front. Her stupefied expression when Lakshman refuses to budge and save Ram, her myriad gaits in miming Ravan’s entry into Panchavati, her scared looks as she hesitantly (with guilt too) crosses the threshold (a defiance to the Lakshman rekha) to give alms to the disguised Ravan were brought out with superb clarity and involvement. She has internalised her roles emerging as an artiste to look forward to in future.

“Namami Gange” ballet was an apt wrap-up with its topicality since cleansing the Ganga has become an issue of national interest. Taking no recourse whatsoever to props, the choreographer-guru was able to hold the audience’s interest by the human element alone. The winding river was personified in the single file of dancers dressed in blue-green traditional costume squatting on their toes and criss-crossing the stage like a river as the theme opens and the same as the curtains fall. The mythological story of Ganga being brought to earth in its turbulence, its taming by Lord Shiva’s locks and finally its significance with reference to Varanasi where it becomes a medium of life’s end , the pollution that has been dumped upon this venerated river were all said through dance in a crisp manner. The cremation ground of the Manikarnika ghat was brought out in a tableau where four girl dancers effortlessly lift the male dancer on their shoulders lying like a corpse and put him on the pyre represented by three dancers in bending posture – the entire thing turned out to be a compelling piece of creativity. It ends with an oblique reference, a plea sans didactics to keep the waters clean for the good of humanity. ‘Antardrishti’ hosted at India Habitat Centre really gave us a peek into the depths of Odissi genre.