She named her daughter and dance institute after Saveri , the immensely popular dance number in Odissi repertoire. Her annual national dance festival is named as Ghungroo Nrutyotsav. Such choices speak volumes of her devotion for Odissi and commitment to dance. She is Sarbani Nandy, the first and only professional Odissi dancer from Tripura State, who is often referred to as an Ambassador of Odissi to the Northeast.
For this dancer and fashion designer specializing in the ethnic fabric of the Northeast and the only classical dancer from Tripura to win the National Youth Award for Indian classical dances, a career in culture was a natural choice. “Growing up in a family that pursued culture passionately, I knew that I wanted to be a part of art and culture, even as a kid. Dance was always my first love though I had to excel in academics. Thanks to my parents, I had the earliest exposure and entry to dance”, shared the dancer in her early 30’s whose father is a noted painter and mime exponent while mother is a popular Rabindra Sangeet singer apart from being a painter.
Sarbani recalls, “I grew up in Agartala city where Kathak was the most popular dance form. I gradually established myself as a young Kathak dancer and even won the National Youth Festival award for dance. However, my shift to Odissi was due to my love for late legend Sanjukta Panigrahi whose dance I used to watch with rapt attention on television. Watching her, I fell in love with Odissi and always dreamt to learn it but it was not possible as Odissi was unknown in Tripura then. Finally, I could learn Odissi under guru Poushali Mukherji in Kolkata when I landed there for my higher education,” confessed the dancer who graduated with English literature followed by post-graduation in public relations and fashion designing. She bagged the Best Designer Award in the very first fashion show she attended. With the sole aim to be a fine Odissi dancer, Sarbani also attended workshops conducted by legendary guru Kelucharan Mohapatra
Marriage to a high flying officer of the Indian Army, Lt. Col Soumya Sinha, brought high hopes to her life and career as an aspiring professional Odissi dancer. But she lost her husband to cancer.
“He strongly felt that I should go to the land of Odissi to learn more from the roots. Thus, he would take me to Bhubaneswar despite his hectic professional life. He even planned to buy a house for me in Bhubaneswar; so that I can be with my guru, Bichitrananda Swain. He was my greatest inspiration and support,” Sarbani shares. After she lost her husband to cancer, , suppressing her pain at ful emotions of describing her life partner in past tense.Cancer snatched away her husband who was her pillar of strength and support. “My life was always over protected, first by my parents and then by my husband. All of a sudden, I found myself all alone. And I had my daughter to be cared for. “For many months, I was unable to figure out my future. Finally, I realised that I have to live on, for my daughter and with my dance to fulfill my husband’s dream for me,” she shares.
In 2012, she set up her Saveri Dance Academy in Agartala to impart training in Odissi dancein an institutional way. “Tripura is very rich in art and culture. Dance culture prevailed since times of the royal rule. However, my state had the presence of Manipuri, Kathak; Bharatnatyam and Odissi were literally unknown. So, in order to introduce Odissi to Tripura people, I started teaching at my Academy in Agartala and went to interior regions to hold lecture-demonstrations and workshops. I was quite encouraged as Tripura Central University invited me to conduct workshop on Odissi”, states this Indian Council for Cultural Relations empanelled dancer who has been a regular performer in dance festivals hosted across northeastern Indian states and by the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi and North Eastern Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre.
Barely a year later, Sarbani and her friend and collaborator Subhrajit Bhattacharjee launched an annual national dance festival, the Ghungroo Nrityotsav . “He is an amazing writer, journalist and anchor whose creative collaboration has made this festival the much awaited annual dance event of our State in just four years. We thought of this festival to enrich the dance-culture of our State by inviting dancers of all Indian classical dance traditions from all over India and even from abroad. From stalwarts like Uma Dogra, Asimbandhu Bhattacharya and Anita Sarma to several young and acclaimed talents, our festival features both the stars of today and of tomorrow. Performances apart, seminars on dance and interactive sessions with the audience have been an integral part of our festivals. Tripura has been a geographically cut off state from the rest of India. Hence this festival helps us to develop a strong cultural bond with the artistes from all over India and abroad who visit our State,” observes Sarbani who has won awards from organisations in Mumbai, Kolkata and Odisha.
