Bhubaneswar: Over 1000 dancers paid rich tribute to Guru Debaprasad Das through dance at two-day-long 39th edition of Shradhanjali Samaroha, organized by Tridhara, the institution established by guruji, in association with the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department, Government of Odisha, at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar starting Tuesday (July 15).
Spread over three sessions with back to back performances every day, the festival witnessed a participation of more than 70 dance institutions with 10 from outside Odisha and one from the USA, making it a tapestry of devotion and dance.
Dr Guru Ganjendra Panda, director of Tridhara, has been organizing the festival for the last 38 years, providing art lovers a unique opportunity to witness Guruji’s iconic choreographies.
Like every year, this year too, the festival was organized aesthetically with a grand portrait of Guruji flanked by Konark wheel replicas, setting the stage for a celebration of rhythm and reverence.
While Minister of Commerce, Transport, Steel and Mines, Government of Odisha, Bibhuti Bhushan Jena and Padma Shri recipients Guru Aruna Mohanty and Guru Illeana Citaristi were the guests of the inaugural evening, the concluding evening’s guests were Prof. Debi Prasanna Pattnaik, eminent linguist; Prabhakar Maharana, distinguished sculptor and curator; Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi, renowned playwright, Smt. Prativa Panda, eminent Odissi dancer and Surendra Das, secretary Chinta O Chetana.
On both days, from morning to evening, Odissi dance institutions from different parts of the nation, from Hinjilicut to Delhi showcased some finest choreographies of Guru Deba Prasad Das.
The inaugural evening featured a mesmerising dance drama ‘Jay Ram, presented by the senior dancers of Tridhara, bringing the divine saga of Lord Ram alive on the stage.
Conceptualised and directed by Guru Gajendra Kumar Panda, music composed by Guru Gopal Chandra Panda and Guru Dr Panda and rhythm composed by Guru Sachidananda Das, the dance drama’s success lies in his in-depth research on the folk dance forms of Southern Odisha.
Even though it reflects shades of ‘Rama Lila’ and ‘Rama Natakam’ while drawing visible influences from the folk traditions of ‘Dasakathia’ and ‘Sakhinata’ of the Ganjam region, the performance retained the classical purity of Odissi dance.
The dance drama commenced with ‘Mangalacharan’ ‘Sriram Dhyana’, based on raga Abhiri and Madhyamadi, followed by a powerful ‘Sthayi’ in raga ‘Madhukiri’ and concluded with an expressive Abhinaya ‘Sita Swayamvar’, set to raga ‘Ghanakesi’, capturing the essence of the Ramayan with finesse.
Earlier, the production was staged at Konark Festival, Khajuraho Dance Festival, and IIT’s cultural fest, drawing applause from art lovers and common audience alike.
Eminent dancer Guru Jyoti Rout, founder of Jyoti Kala Mandir, one of the first Odissi dance schools in the West, established in 1993, presented ‘Rasanubhava’, weaving together nine rasas like ‘shringar, ‘veera’, ‘bhaya’, ‘roudra’, ‘karunya’, ‘adbhuta’ ‘hasya’, ‘bibhastcha’ and ‘shanta’ into a tapestry of human emotions without following a linear narrative, keeping the audience glued to their seats.
A disciple of late Guru Dev Prasad lineage through Guru Gejendra Panda, Delhi-based Odissi dancer Atasi Mishra captivated the audiences with abhinaya ‘Uthilu ede begi kanhiki’, depicting Yoshada’s playful struggles with young Krishna, choreographed by Guru Debaprasad Das and directed by Guru Gajendar Panda. Her nuanced abhinaya left the art lovers enthralled.
The other dancers and dance institutions featured were Art Vision (Bhubaneswar), Nrutya Bilash (Bhubaneswar), Kavita Mishra (Kolkata), Devasruta Dance Academy (Ranchi), Nrutyadhara (Bilaspur), Sai Smruti Kala Kendra (Bhubaneswar) and Debadhara (New Delhi).
On the concluding day, at 9 AM, esteemed gurus, distinguished guests, disciples and well-wishers garlanded the statue of Guru Debaprasad Das in the premises of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya and at 9.30 AM, a grand procession was held from Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya to Rabindra Mandap, reaffirming the community’s commitment to preserving Guruji’s legacy.
The cultural programme got off to a fine start with Ms Bagmishree Das, granddaughter of Guru Debaprasad Das, presenting ‘Laxmi Nrusingha Dhyana’, set to raga ‘Mangalagujari’ and ‘Lalita’ with the music composition of Pt Gopal Chandra Panda set to rhythm by the acclaimed guru Banamali Maharana and dance choreographed by Guru Gajendra Panda. The performance was nothing short of mesmerizing.
The second item of the evening was a group recital by seven students of Nupur dance institution from Bhubaneswar. They presented ‘Barsha’, written by poet Mangala Prasad and choreographed by Guru Niranjan Rout. The synchronization and space management made the presentation enjoyable.
Then, eight students of Nrutyashree, an Odissi dance institution in Karanjia, presented ‘Ahe nila saila’. The performance was a mediocre one.
The following item was a group presentation by the students of Biswanath Sangeetalay, an Odissi dance and music institution in Cuttack. They presented ‘Namami Vishnu’, set to raga ‘Jogiya’ and tala ‘Ektali’, choreographed by Guru Dipti Routray, music composed by Pradeep Ray, rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain and vocal by Guru Sukant Kumar Kundu. While depicting the characteristics of Lord Vishnu, the dancers tried to do justice to the choreography.
Next, the students of Nrutyanilaya, an Odissi dance institution established in Angul by Swapnarani Sinha, came onto the stage to present ‘Agni’, set to raga ‘Malika’ and tala ‘Malika’, choreographed by Swapnarani Sinha, script and music composed by Guru Ramhari Das, rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain. Here, the dancers requested the lord of fire to purify the hearts within the human souls and bless them with sublimity. The dancers’ neat formations and synchronized movements added visual finesse to the devotional piece.
The sixth item of the evening was a group recital ‘Shibastaka’, set to raga ‘Bhairavi’ and tala ‘Ektali’, choreographed by Guru Deba Prasad Das, presented by six dancers of Shree Dance Academy, an Odissi dance institution established by Guru Namita Ray in Bhubaneswar.
The concluding item of the evening was an abhinaya ‘Dinabandhu ehi ali’, presented by five students of Bhubaneswar Kala Kendra, bringing the curtains down on the festival that was not just a tribute but also a living celebration of the Deba Prasad gharana.
While Punya Darshan Sahoo and Rutuparna Mohapatra (Guddi) were the anchors of the inaugural evening, the former was the emcee of the concluding evening.
