Think globally and act locally – whoever stated this must have been the happiest person with what internationally acclaimed and globe trotter Odissi dancer and teacher Sujata Mohapatra did this week. The distinguished disciple and daughter-in-law of late legendary Odissi maestro Kelucharan Mohapatra opened an Odissi dance institute namely Guru Keerti Srjan in the North Orissa town of Baleswar.
Aptly as the name of the institute suggested, Guru Keerti (legacy of the Guru) and Srjan (creativity and the name of the Bhubaneswar-based Odissi institution that Guru Kelucharan had founded) has been visualised to carry forward the legacy of the great master who was known for his unbound creativity. “This institute would specially care for the uncared-for talents who would be groomed in the age old guru-shishya tradition. Besides, my thrust would be on propagation of authentic Odissi tradition through proper teaching,” stated Sujata. The dance and music concert that followed the opening ceremony was a treat for the connoisseurs. The highlight of the event was the solo Odissi dance recital by Sujata's American disciple Amanda Geroy who has made Orissa her home for the past five years for her love for Odissi and her guru. She staged a very popular composition of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra – patha chhadi de – in which Radha pleads before Krishna to let her go for plucking flowers puja . It was amazing to witness a foreigner's due understanding, internalisation and articulation of the characters and the situations as described in an Oriya song in the context of Oriya culture and tradition.
Amanda was apt and natural in enacting the expressions, movements and behaviour typical of Oriya women when engaged in everyday household chores.
Sujata's Indian disciple Reshma Rani Das, whom she has picked up to groom at her newly opened institute, opened the dance concert aptly with an invocatory piece for Lord Ganesh – Vakratunda Mahakaya Suryakoti Samaprava - whose blessings are solicited to make an auspicious beginning of any new initiative. The piece was choreographed by Ratikant Mohapatra, son of Guru Kelucharan. Legendary flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia had scored the music for it.
Bhubaneswar-based young and gifted Hindustani flute player Jawahar Mishra was the other attraction of the concert. Accompanied on the tabla by Sukant Pradhan, the flautist – who is often been seen as an accompanying artiste to several Odissi dancers – regaled with his recital the intensely romantic, melodious and sweet raga of Madhuvanti – a name that has taken after madhu (honey) and conveys the various colours and sentiments of love.
