New Delhi: Launched by ‘Jalpaiguri Charukriti’ in 2017 as an ambitious cultural initiative, ‘Charukarya: The Choreography Festival’ has over the years grown from strength to strength and carved has carved out a distinct place for itself on India’s cultural map.
The festival made its much-anticipated move to the national capital this year, bringing with it a vibrant bouquet of Indian classical and traditional dance.
This reviewer has been associated with the festival since its first edition and has had the privilege of witnessing its remarkable journey. If the festival has come to this stage, it is mostly because of the vision and painstaking involvement of Guru Smt Debdatta Lahiri, founder of ‘Jalpaiguri Charukriti’.
From the design of the invitation card to the selection of artistes, her personal attention to every detail has helped shape the festival into a significant cultural event with a distinctly national character.
After successfully hosting the festival for three years in Jalpaiguri, Guru Lahiri decided to take ‘Charukarya’ to New Delhi with the aim of reaching a wider and more diverse audience and strengthening its national presence.
As dusk settled over the Capital city, the packed Stein Auditorium buzzed with anticipation. Art lovers and common audience occupied their seats as the evening promised a bouquet of Rabindra Nrutya, Odissi, Kathak and Bharatanatyam performances.
Staying true to its legacy of maintaining punctuality, the emcee of the evening appeared on the stage and welcomed the audience and invited Shri Amarendra Khatua, former Ambassador and former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, who graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour, to light the ceremonial lamp. Guru Smt Debdatta Lahiri was also present on the dais.
In his address, Shri Khatua heaped praise on Guru Smt Debdatta Lahiri for her dedication in preserving the nation’s art and culture and wished the festival a long and successful journey.
The cultural evening got off to a devotional note as Sushree Aurora Chakraborty, daughter and disciple of Guru Smt Debdatta Lahiri, presented ‘Shiv Panchakshara Stotra’ by Adi Shankaracharya and choreographed by Guru Monalisa Ghosh.
A Class III student, Aurora left everyone in the auditorium stunned with her poised and assured presentation.
Through a nuanced portrayal of Lord Shiva’s many attributes, she demonstrated remarkable command over the Odissi vocabulary. Her techniques expressions and stage confidence shone through in the entire presentation, earning her warm and generous applause.
Sushree Aurora was only five-year-old when she started performing solo Odissi and has so far performed at several prestigious festivals in India and abroad.
If her performance at ‘Charukarya’ is any indication, she is an artiste to watch in the years ahead.
The spotlight was then shifted to Guru Smt Debdatta Lahiri, who presented a mesmerising solo Odissi dance recital ‘Alabdhapriya’.
The piece was choreographed by legendary Odissi maestro Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (for the part ‘Yahi Madhava’) and the artiste herself (for the rest) and music composed by Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi with arrangement by Priyabrata Palai.
Conceptualised by the artiste herself, the item explored the emotional turmoil of a nayika while waiting for her beloved.
Endowed with a pair of expressive eyes and a chiseled body, Guru Smt Lahiri held the audience in thrall with her immaculate technique, expressive eyes, commanding stage presence and finely nuanced abhinaya. Her ability to convey the many shades of longing and emotional conflict gave the presentation considerable depth.
The applause continued long after she had left the stage, a clear indication of the audience’s appreciation.
The third item of the evening was another captivating solo Odissi dance recital, this time by Vinod Kevin Bachchan.
A talented dancer of his generation, Vinod is a disciple of Padma Shri Guru Smt Ranjana Gauhar and a recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar.
He presented ‘Visweshwara Darshan Ko Chalo Man Tum Kashi’, one of the celebrated compositions of Maharaja Swati Tirunal. Choreographed by Padma Shri Ranjana Gauhar, music composed by Saroj Mohanty and set to Raga Asavari and Tala Khemta, the piece took the audience on a journey to the sacred city of Kashi.
The dancer through layers of abhinaya portrayed the image of Lord Shiva-ash smeared across his body, adorned by the trident, the serpent, and Girija, the daughter of mountain, by his side.
His portrayal was both evocative and a feast for eyes.
Adding variety to the evening, Guru Smt Ambali P Praharaj, an alumna of Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts, Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai, and a Bharatanatyam artiste and theatre practitioner for 34 years, presented ‘Gopis-Transit On Moksha’, conceptualised and choreographed by the artiste herself.
Blending sparkling jathis and abhinaya, Guru Smt Ambali P Praharaj explored the eternal yearning of a human being for a union with the supreme divine soul-Lord Krishna. Her powerful interpretation resonated with the audience and drew generous applause.
The penultimate presentation was a solo Kathak recital by Mayukh Bhattacharya. He commenced his recital with ‘Shiv Vandana’ and followed it with ‘Jhaptaal’ on 10 beats, a composition of Padma Vibhushan Pt. Birju Maharaj.
Through the expressive and rhythmic vocabulary of Kathak, the presentation evokes Shiva as the eternal dancer, where stillness gives way to movement, movement becomes rhythm, and rhythm becomes creation.
Beginning with invocation, the performance gradually unfolded into an exploration of the pure rhythmic architecture of Kathak. Set within the 10-beat cycle of Jhaptaal, his second presentation brought together intricate footwork, rhythmic compositions, turns, patterns and dynamic movements.
He left the audience captivated with his energetic footwork crisp execution and effortless pirouettes.
The evening concluded on a colourful note with a Rabindra Nrutya by two Charukriti students- Sreya Chowrasiya and Raaima Mitra.
Choreographed by Guru Prof. Dr. Sruti Bandopadhyay, an SNA awardee, the presentation captured the spirit of autumn, the beauty of nature and the festive season.
The artiste duo complemented each other beautifully, their synchronisation and excellent stage presence adding a fitting flourish to the evening.
As the curtains came down, it was clear that ‘Charukarya’ had made a memorable impression on its Delhi audience.
Having travelled from Jalpaiguri to the national capital with the support of the Ministry of Culture,Government of India, the festival has not merely changed its venue—it has widened its cultural canvas.
If the warm response in New Delhi is any indication, ‘Charukarya’ has given the Nation’s capital city a new date to look forward to on its annual cultural calendar.
