Ahmedabad: It was an evening to remember when Hiranyamayi Dipti Vakharwala, one of the senior disciples of Guru Dr Suprava Mishra, took the stage at Odissi Sandhya 2.0, leaving the art lovers at AIR Studio Auditorium, Sindhubhavan Road, Ahmedabad, spellbound with her artistry and poise.
Organised by Aum Arts Dance Academy, founded by Guru Dr Mishra, the series was launched during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 as an online initiative to provide a platform exclusively for solo Odissi dancers.
After its successful offline debut with Prachi Pati in July this year, the second edition witnessed Hiranyamayi’s mesmerising recital.
Speaking about the concept, Dr Mishra said, “I lay much importance to solo performance. Solo performances allow dancers to fully showcase their skills, something group recitals don’t always permit. Since most festivals dominated by group recitals, I decided to provide a stage to soloists. Thus, the series ‘Odissi Sandhya’ came into existence.”
“This stage will remain open to dancers beyond my institute as well,” she added.
Hiranyamayi, who started her Odissi dance training at the tender age of six from Guru Smt Debasrita Mohanty before learning from Dr Mishra, narrated how she got attracted to Odissi.
“When my mother and I went to explore dance classes, we saw many dance forms but Odissi specially grabbed our interest-its grace and movements enchanted us,” she recounted.
She commenced her performance with ‘Ashtapadi Mangalacharan’. She started with ‘Manch Pravesh’, followed by ‘Pushpanjali’ with Jagannath Stutee, the expressive Ashtapadi ‘Shrita Kamala’ and a traditional ‘Trikhandi Pranam’.
Her neat depictions of episodes like ‘Kalia Daman’, ‘Mura Daman’ and ‘Ravan Dahan’ lifted the mood and created great anticipation for the rest of the evening.
Her next presentation was ‘Megh Pallavi’, a fitting choice for the ensuing Monsoon season. Pallavi is a pure dance item of Odissi repertoire in which, like a blossoming flower, a raga is elaborated through lyrical body movements, graceful eye expressions and intricate footwork.
She followed it up with an Abhinaya ‘Sakhigo Mora Kunja Ku Aaja’. Here, her essaying the character of a Vasaksajjika Nayika excitedly decorating her home and making sure that everything – from her attire to the house entrance, is perfect at the time when her hero arrives.
She asks her Sakhi about what all she will do when the hero comes to her like making a Paan for him.
She concluded her performance with ‘Moksha’. ‘Moksha’, which means spiritual liberation, is the concluding item of an Odissi dance recital. Her deep internalization of the dance form was evident all throughout the performance.
It was heartening to see her energy and enthusiasm remained undiminished till her last item.
Bestowed with a mercurial dance body, a pair of expressive eyes and unwavering dedication, Hiranyamayi’s recitals, each got a thunderous applause, stood as testament to her rigorous training under Guru Dr Mishra.
Each piece reflected her maturity, mastery over technique, dedication and innate command over expressions.
A graded artiste of Doordarshan, Hiranyamayi is no strange to festivals and accolades. She has performed at several prestigious festivals including ‘Ek Bharat – Shreshtha Bharat, Gujarat Maharashtra Sthapna Diva – 2024’ at Raj Bhavan, Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
A Sangeet Alankar and Sangeet Visharad, in Odissi Dance and a Junior National Scholarship Holder in Odissi, she has received several awards including ‘K. Rangnath Bendre Puraskar’, ‘Smt. Sushilabai Kogze Puraskar’, ‘Smt. Shardabai Natu Puraskar’ & ‘K. M. R. Parasnis Puraskar’, for securing highest marks in Sangeet Alankar Nrutya Vishay, by Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidhyalaya, Mumbai, ‘Kal Ke Kalakar 2020’ by Gujarat State Sangeet Natak Akademi, ‘Tejasvi Vidhyarthi Sanman Award’ by Dayakorba Sangeet Vidhyalaya, Surat.
The event was graced by dignitaries like Ahmedabad Odisha Association’s executive member Dilip Bala, Director of Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum, Ms Sujata Parsai and renowned Bharatanatyam dancers Akshay Patel and Bharat Baria.
The evening’s seamless anchoring was done by Prof Vaishali Dholakia, an Odissi dancer and disciple of Guru Dr Mishra.
Kalasanskruti joins the fraternity in wishing her a luminous future in her chosen field of classical dance-Odissi.
