New Delhi: The two-day-long Mamta Raut Dance Festival 2023 organised by Jayantika at Triveni Kala Sangam Chamber Theatre, New Delhi concluded on a very successful note on November 26.
The inaugural day witnessed a bouquet of scintillating performances. After the customary lighting the lamp ceremony, Padma Shri recipient Guru Mayadhar Raut felicitated artistes of the evening.
The first item of the day was a prayer presented by the disciples of Guru Madhumita Raut.
The next item was a Bharatnatyam recital presented by the disciples of internationally acclaimed Bharatnatyam dancer Guru Jayalakshmi Eshwar, who is presently working as the head of the Bharatanatyam Department at Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi.
Her disciples Anoushka Pulijal, Subhiksha Iyer, Venika Ajith, Lasya Rava, Ananya Pulijal and Arsha Ashok presented Shlokam and Natesha Kavutuam set to Raga Hamsadvani and Talam Aadhi, dance composed by Kalakshetra Adyar K Lakshman and music by Gangamuthu Nattuvanar. They followed it up with Thillana in Raga Mohanakalayani and tala Adhi Thalam, music composed by Lalkudi Jayaraman and dance choreographed by Acharya Jayalakshmi Eshwar.
In the second phase, the students of Guru Madhumita Raut, daughter and disciple of legendary Guru Mayadhar Raut.
The concluding item of the day was a Chhau dance, presented by the disciples of Guru Sapan Acharya.
Guru Sapan Acharya, a Seraikella Chhau dance exponent, guru and choreographer, hails from the 5th generation of the family of traditional performers who have significantly contributed to the evolution and development of the dance form.
He has been involved in training students since the last 25 years and currently teaches at Triveni Kala Sangam, Delhi, Attakalari Movements of Arts, Bangalore and is an artistic director of Acharya Chhau Nrutya Bichitra, Seraikella.
His disciples Ritambhra, S. Sumedha, Aabdika Sharma, Yash Saini, Lokesh Diwakar, Triyan Pratibimb and Shiva Gunj presented Devadasi and Yoddha.
On the second day, Dr. Mahesh Prasad, Principal, Step by Step School, who attended as the guest of the evening felicitated Guru Smt Seetha Nagajothy, Guru Sri P Nagajothy, Sudha Thamothiran and the performers.
The inaugural item of the second day was a prayer to Lord Jagannath by Rijuta Pandav, Shalvi Singh, Apoorva Das, Aahana Jaiswal and Nupur Gupta, disciples of Guru Madhumita Raut.
Next came unto the stage were the students of Guru Smt Seetha Nagajothy and Guru Sri P Nagajothy who presented a Kuchipudi dance item, ‘Dashavatara Sabdam’, a traditional piece set to ragam Mohana and Talam Mishrachapu, choreographed by Late Guru Padmabhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam. Here the ten Avataras of Vishnu are gracefully shown in Kuchipudi and is set to lyrical beauty of the Telugu language.
The next performer was the guest artiste from Malaysia, noted Bharatnatyam dancer Sudha Thamothiran.
Sudha Thamothiran is a versatile dancer, guru, and choreographer with a passion for Bharatanatyam. Trained by renowned mentors, she excelled in Nattuvangam and Odissi, enriching her artistic journey. As the founder of NrityaKalanjali, she imparts traditional values and offers free classes to underprivileged children. Sudha’s solo performances have graced international stages, earning her prestigious awards, including Nritya Jayanthika and Natya Suvarna Choodamani. Her commitment to artistic excellence persists as she refines her Odissi skills under Guruji Mayadhar Raut in Delhi, inspiring dance enthusiasts worldwide.
Sudha presented padam Kannan Varra Kannire, based on ragam Ragamalika and talam Adi.
The following item was a group Odissi dance presentation by the disciples of Madhumita Raut.
Madhumita Raut, a globally recognised face of Odissi dance, is the inheritor and proponent of her illustrious father Padmashri Guru Mayadhar Raut’s dance legacy. Madhumita Raut has performed Odissi dance in more than 35 countries and is teaching Odissi widely all over the world.
A stickler for standards and discipline, Madhumita is known for imparting value-based training & Vedic education in dance. An alumna of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan(Delhi) and Indraprastha College for Women (Delhi University), Madhumita Raut holds a Master’s degree in English literature. She also has a Diploma in Performing Arts from Khiragarh University.
She received scholarship from the Delhi Govt. to study Odissi dance. Later she was awarded fellowship by the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, to do research in Odissi. Her landmark book Odissi-History,Evolution & Technique has been highly appreciated for its in-depth research. She has been conferred with many awards including the Utkal Kanya award and Bharat Nirman award. Recently she was decorated with Bharatmuni award.
Her well trained students performed ‘Ya Devi Sarva Bhuteshu’, an Abhinaya piece on Devi Durga.
In this item, the dancers-Shalvi Singh, Apoorva Das and Aahana Jaiswal- described how Devi Durga is the embodiment of Consciousness, Intellegence, Sleep, Hunger, Shadow , Power, Thirst, Forbearance , Modesty, Peace, Faith, Beauty, Fortune and more in all beings. The item was choreographed by Madhumita Raut.
The last item of the concluding day was Moksha, a piece of Shuddha Nritta,pure dance. The word means salvation. It remains the final dance piece in an Odissi repertoire. The dance is performed in fast tempo, accompanied by the recitation of rhythmic syllables.
Moksha , a composition of Guru Mayadhar Raut, was presented by Rijuta Pandav, Shalvi Singh, Apoorva Das, Aahana Jaiswal and Nupur Gupta.
Art lovers and common audience had an engrossing viewing experience on both days.
Ms Mridu Tripathi was the emcee of both days.
