Championing the cause of much neglected performing arts of Ganjam District of Southern Odisha, the renowned painter, research scholar, author Dinanath Pathy joining hands with Malaysia’s artistic icon Ramli Ibrahim, through Sutra Foundation, has succeeded in realising his dream in production of spectacular dance work choreographed by Rami Ibrhaim in Odissi.
Staged recently at the Kamani Auditorium under aegis of the Sri Ram Bharatiya Kala Kendra and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, “Ganjam” created waves. The audience not only saw the parallel stream of Gotipua dancers in Ganjam from Parlekhemandi village, known as Sakhinatapila, in which young boys wearing female costumes, performed sakhinach, but also the musical traditions of Ram bhajan, suggestions of Prahlad Nataka, worship of Nrusimha, half-man half-lion incarnation of Lord Vishnu in one of the ten incarnations, also with quiet form of Lakshmi on his lap. The tantric traditions of Yogini, reverberating with Sabda swara pata, recitation of various Goddesses, the assemblage of so many diverse strands in a cohesive, seamless, breath taking visuals, was indeed a tribute to Guru Deba Prasad Das.
The highlights of the production were Sthai in paramparik raga, traditional tunes, incorporating images of men and women as depicted in palm leaf paintings and in rich literature, followed by Ram bhajan, merging into raga Rasamanjari Pallavi, in continuously winding and unwinding chains, drawing inspiration from tribal female dancers holding their arms. The finale saw Yogini Moksha, the tantric goddesses taking forms before our very eyes, ferocious and benign, emerging from third eye of Lord Shiva, and merging within his being- one had a veritable feast for the eyes along with exquisite dancing by multi-cultural dancers and a procession lifting a 13-year-old girl Krithika as a young goddess.
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As a choreographer, Ramli with his colleague Shivarajah Natarajan, painter, set and light designer, has created a memorable work in “Ganjam”.
As someone far away in Malaysia, he has woven various strands in such exquisite manner transcending local into a global and universal perspective is a marvel which one shall relish for a long time.