Bhubaneswar: As is her wont, Odissi dancer Guru Smt Samikshya Dikshit took up a new challenge and presented a dance drama ‘Daksha Yagna’ at 5th Lashya Award Festival 2025, organised by her institution Lashya Dance Academy, at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.
The dance drama, set to Raga Ragamalika and Tala Talamalika, lyrics by Nikunja Bihari Das, music composed by Matru Prasad Das and rhythm composed by Guru Dhaneswar Swain, Guru Ajay Kumar Choudhury and Sitakanta Jena and choreographed by Guru Smt Dikshit, retold the story starting from Prajapati Daksha organizing a yagna to the creation of the Shakti Peethas, which are scattered across the nation with an uncanny artistic flavour.
Over the span of 30 minutes, the production depicted key episodes like Sati attends a yagna organised by her father Prajapati Daksha uninvited where the latter insults her and her husband Lord Shiva, leading to Sati ending her life by jumping into the sacred fire, her death infuriates Lord Shiva, creation of Veerabhadra who destroys the ceremony and beheads Daksha, an enraged Shiva performs Tandava carrying the body of Sati, Lord Vishnu cuts Sati’s body into 51 pieces, which fall at various places across India, leading to the creation of Shakti Peethas were beautifully encapsulated, leaving the art lovers stupefied.
The segment showcasing Shiva’s Tandava carrying Sati’s lifeless body left an indelible mark on this reviewer.
The artistes who gave their best to make the production an enjoyable one were Smt Samikshya Dikshit, Tapaswini Maharana, Dipsikha Shah, Pritisudha Adhikari, Pritisha Priyadarshini, Ritisha Mallick, Shreejal Sahoo, Sijal Jayasmita Dhal, Chanchal Mohanty, Subbulakshmi Mohanty, Aarna Chouhan, Shreya Sagarika Sahoo, Akanksha Behera, Soumya Priyadarshi Barik and Rashmi Ranjan Dhalasingh.
The dancers’ body movements, expressions, seamless entries and exists, synchronization and space management made the production truly memorable. This compelling production should visit all major festivals across the country.
Earlier in the evening, the festival was inaugurated by Ekamra MLA Babu Singh, Mardala Guru Satchidananda Dash and District Culture Officer, Cuttack, Nalinikanta Sahoo. The director of the festival, Debadatta Panda was also present on the dais.
Next, noted Odissi vocalist Guru Ramahari Das and Mardala exponent Guru Dhaneswar Swain were awarded with Lashya Samman 2025.
The guests and felicitated personalities heaped praises on Lashya Dance Academy and wished the institution continued success.
The evening also featured three scintillating performances. The artistes of Shree Baladevjew Academy of Drama and Culture, Kendrapara, performed ‘Namah Devi’ and ‘Panchabhuta’, under the direction of Abhiram Nayak, the founder of the institution. The artistes were Tapaswini Nayak, Rakshi Tripathy, Purnima Tripathy, Debasmita Dash and Sunita Sahoo.
Similarly, the artistes of Tensa Kala Parishad, a cultural institution managed by SAIL, presented an abhinaya ‘Ganesha Vandana’, choreographed by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and directed by Guru Aradhana Patra. The artistes were Harshita Mohanty, Itishree Mohanty, Priyadarshini Dash, Mrinalini Pallai, Sukanya Mohanty, Alino Ahmed and Sangslita Mohanty.
On this occasion, the winners of competitions in Odissi dance, Sambalpuri dance, semi-classical dance and drawing in sub junior, junior and senior categories were felicitated. The anchor of the evening was Gyanananda Sagar.
Founded in 2018, Lashya Dance Academy continues to nurture talents and provide platforms for both established and emerging artistes.
