The skies opened on Monday evening, but that did not deter hundreds of people from gathering at the Thiagarajar School of Management to celebrate the life of industrialist Manikam Ramaswami who passed away in October last year. To mark his 64th birth anniversary on November 21, multiple functions were held during the week. The evening’s programme that held the overflowing audience to rapt attention was dance drama Mahatma — An Ode to Father of Our Nation, presented by the dancers from Bhubaneswar-based Orissa Dance Academy.
Borrowing from verses by acclaimed poets such as Narsi Meheto, Sumitra Nandan Pant, Harivanshrai Bachchan and Radhamohan Garnaik, 21 dancers wowed the audience in an imagery that flowed like a single poem. The performers maintained good control and confidence and exhibited grace and verve even as rains pounded the water-proof tent over the stage and seating, through the hour-long recital.
A challenge
It is not easy to encapsulate a complex story such as Gandhi’s into a single dance drama. Yet, there was intensity in Aruna Mohanty’s well-choreographed show. The Odissi guru, known for her unconventional perception of dance, gave a contemporary take to the theme. “It was a challenge. I took his ideas of truth, non-violence, swadeshi and swaraj as metaphors and knitted the presentation as a poetic appliqué,” she says, explaining how she compressed the story into a short and lucid presentation.
The show was not a biographical description of Gandhiji’s struggle but how the Mahatma is still relevant to the present times. “Ahimsa is much needed at the moment given the rising intolerance,” says Aruna, who relied on slices of history that metamorphosed into a quest for spiritual humanity.
Historic events
Gandhiji’s train journey in South Africa, the Dandi march, Quit India movement, Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the non-violent protests and rising anger against British tyranny, the emergence of charkha as a self-reliant journey of the conscience and the gun shot that killed him — such turning points were enhanced by related scenes, images and titles projected on a screen mounted behind the dancers. The pre-recorded music and amalgam of songs in Oriya and Hindi was melodious. The introductory narratives scripted by Kedar Misra, music composed by Ramhari Das resonated with the accompanying dance. Ramesh Chandra Jena’s lighting and costumes designed by Aruna, added to the experience.
The audience gave a standing ovation.
