Bhubaneswar: The sixth edition of two-day-long Lasya Labanya Dance Festival, organised by Biswanath Sangeetalaya, a Cuttack based Odissi dance and music institution, was held at Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre campus in Bhubaneswar on November 19 and 20.
This reviewer had the opportunity to witness the past two editions as well. If compared, each year, the quality of the festival is improving. If the festival ended successfully, with satisfying the taste buds of art connoisseurs, it was because of months long of hard work and dedication of Pradeep Ray and his wife Guru Dr Dipti Routray, the guiding force behind Biswanath Sangeetalaya.
In fact, Biswanath Sangeetalaya had a very humble beginning. In 1999, Prafulla Ray, father of Pradeep Ray, established it at Bachhada, a nondescript village under Basudevpur constituency in Bhadrak district. He named it after his father.The sapling planted then has now become a strong tree with its branches in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Over the years, it has produced many students who have performed at various prestigious festivals, bringing glory to the institution.
On the inaugural evening, after the customary lighting the lamp ceremony attended by guests like Padma Shri award recipient Odissi vocalist Shyamamani Devi, noted Odissi dancer Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, eminent Mardal player Guru Dhaneshwar Swain and Rotary Club Governor Atin Jagyasis Mohapatra, Lasya Labanya Lifetime achievement award 2024 was presented to renowned Odissi exponent and Central Sangeet Natak awardee Smt Snehaprava Samantaray.
The opening performance of the evening was an Abhinaya ‘Namami Ramam’ performed by the students of Biswanath Sangeetalay.It was based on the theme of epic Ramayan. The talented eight dancers of the institution narrated different episodes of the epic so clearly that the audience didn’t get time to take their eyes from the stage.While the dance was choreographed by Guru Smt Dipti Routray, it was composed by Pandit Nityanand Misra, music directed by Guru Dhaneshwar Swain and the musicians who accompanied were Rupak Kumar Parida on vocal, Jabahar Mishra on the flute, Prakash Chandra Mahapatra on the sitar, Guru Pradeep Kumar Ray on the violin, Guru Dhaneshwar Swain on the Mardal, Ajay Chowdhury on the drums.
The second item of the evening was a Bharatnatyam presentation by Arupa Lahiri, a renowned artiste from Delhi. A Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee and an A grade artiste of Doordarshan, Delhi, Arupa commenced her presentation with an invocatory piece ‘Anjali’ with offering of flowers, based on Gambhira natai Ragam and Adi Talam in Tishra nadai. She followed it up with Meenakshi Pancharatna Kriti, based on Adi Shankaracharya’s composition. This particular piece speaks about the beauty of the Mother Goddess and her different forms.Her flawless presentation with adhering to the norms left the art lovers wanting more.
The concluding item of the evening was ‘Samahita’, presented by the students of ‘Odissi Dance Creation’, a Bhubaneswar based Odissi dance institution. The item was based on Raga Kalyan and Hanshadhwani, Tala Ektali, choreographed by Guru Pankaj kumar Pradhan, music composed by Guru Srinivas Satpathy and rhythm composed by Guru Dhaneshwar Swain.The synchronisation and space management were the falcrum of the item’s success.
Similarly, the second evening started with lighting the lamp ceremony. The guest of the evening were eminent Odissi dance guru Ratikant Mohapatra, writer Pradeep Biswal (retired IAS), Chhau dance researcher Subhashree Mukherjee and social worker Jagannath Pradhan.On this occasion, eminent Mardala player Guru Niranjan Patra was honoured with Guru Prafulla Ray Samman for his lifetime contributions to the music world.
The evening commenced with a duet Kathak presentation by Vishavdeep and Pradeep Kumar Pathak. While Vishavdeep is a native of Pathankot in Punjab and has mastered the nuances of Jaipur gharana of Kathak under the watchful eyes of Guru Smt Nandini Singh and Prerana Shreemali, Pradeep belongs to Lucknow gharana of Kathak. He has undergone rigorous training under the guidance of Guru Krishnamohan Maharaj and Malti Shyam.They started their presentation with a prayer to Lord Krishna, followed by the tale of Kaliya Daman. While this story is well-known, its importance lied in the fact that it was presented from a modern perspective, highlighting the pressing issue of water pollution. Just as Lord Krishna, as a young cowherd, purified the Yamuna River by subduing the serpent Kaliya, this performance aimed to inspire the audience to preserve and honor the purity of our rivers. It conveys the message that we should respect our rivers with the same reverence Krishna had for the Yamuna.They followed it up with an exquisite presentation inspired by a shloka composed by Adi Shankaracharya, depicting the grandeur of Lord Shiva. Through their dance, they beautifully depicted the divine attributes and forms of Lord Shiva, offering a visual tribute to his magnificence.Their third segment featured the story of Saint Nandanar, performed in the Kathak style. They concluded their presentation program with a Hari and Har devotional hymn dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Through their dance, they explored similarities as well as contrasts between the two deities—Shiva, adorned with a blue throat and serpent garlands, and Vishnu, reclining on Sheshnag and resplendent in blue. From the very beginning, they were able to hold the art connoisseurs in thrall.
Next came onto the stage were Simran Zaman and Kenisha to Manglacharan and a Pallavi, set to Raga Mohana and Tala Tala Malika, choreographed by Guru Pitamber Biswal and music composed by Satyabrata Katha. Bestowed with well crafted torsos and expressive eyes, they immediately established a relationship with the audience with their well rehearsed items.
The concluding item of the evening was a group Odissi presentation ‘Kapata Katha’, by the students of Pragnya Nrutyayan, an Odissi dance institution in Bhubaneswar established by Swayampragnya Sahoo. The dancers led by Swayampragnya brought to the fore those episodes of the Mahabharata wherein the characters resorted to deceptions to attain personal goals.The presentation ticked off all the boxes of a beautiful performance.The item was choreographed by Guru Swayampragnya Sahoo, script by Dr Srinivas Ghatuary, music composed by Guru Sukant Kumar Kundu, rhythm composed by Guru Dhaneswar Swain and Guru Ajay Chaudhary and vocals by Rupak Kumar Parida, Matruprasad and Milan.
On both evenings, president of the institution Guru Prafulla Ray,secretary Guru Smt Dipti Routray and the chief advisor of the institution Umashankar Pattnaik accompanied the guests on the stage. A noted violinist, Pradeep Ray was the festival director.
Deviprasad Mishra’s meticulous light design enhanced the beauty of the items presented on both evenings.
The anchors of the inaugural and concluding evenings were Dr Mrutyunjay Rath and Biswajit Baliarsingh respectively.
Photo courtesy: Kalasanskruti and Biswanath Sangeetalaya
