New Delhi: The recently concluded two-day-long Mamta Raut Dance Festival organised by Jayantika Mayadhar Raut School of Odissi Dance at Triveni Kala Sangam Chamber Theatre, Tansen Marg, New Delhi was well upto the expectation of art lovers.
The festival, curated by Odissi exponent Madhumita Raut in loving memory of her mother(Late) Smt. Mamta Raut, wife of Padma Shri recipient Guru Mayadhar Raut, the doyen of Odissi dance, was held on November 29 and 30.
The first evening began with the felicitation of the guest artistes such as Odissi dancer Shekhar Suman Majhi, Bharatnatyam dancer Santnu Chakraborty and Kathak dancer Utkarsh Shankar Mishra.
The evening commenced with a short invocation by Vamika Tripathi, Kuheli Gomes and Garima Behura, all are junior disciples of Guru Madhumita Raut.
The following item was a Bharatnatyam recital presented by Santnu Chakraborty. A well known name in the field of dance, Santnu is affiliated as an artiste and Guru with ICCR, Sangeet Natak Academy (Delhi), Doordarshan and EZCC.
He presented Shiva Panchakshara Stotra with his disciple Parineet Kaur, giving a befitting start to the evening. The item was choreographed by Guru V.Krishnamoorthi.
The next performer was Sekhar Suman Maji. An exceptional prodigy in the field of Odissi Dance, hailing from the silk city Brahmapur, Odisha, he started dancing at the age of 4.A disciple of Guru Sri Durga Charan Ranbir (SNA AWARDEE) and a senior repertoire member of NRUTYAYAN, BBSR he has earned many awards and accolades to his feather in the legendary style of Guru Dr Debaprasad Das. He has completed Visharad Poorna in Odissi Dance from Akhila Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Mumbai. He has been a senior scholarship holder under the CCRT, Ministry Of Culture, Govt. Of India.
He is also a B Grade artiste in Doordarshan, Odisha. He has performed at many prestigious festivals such as the Mumbai Festival, Ghumusura Mohatsav, BARGARH Dhanu Yatra, ICCR Festival, Bali Yatra Festival, Odisha Divas Festival, International Odissi Dance Festival; mentioned to be a few. He runs his institution UTKALIKA NRUTYANUSTHAN at Brahmapur city and Bhubaneswar City with a minimum of 100 students with Odissi Dance, Odissi vocal and mardala and Bina since 2015.
He presented Sabhinaya Pallavi. His presentation commenced with Kedara Kamodi Pallavi, based on Raga Kedara Kamodi and Tala Ektali. The abhinaya for the concluding part ‘E ghoro barasa kale’, set to Raga Kedara Kamodi and Tala Tripata was convincing. The item was choreographed by Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, music composed by Guru Ramahari Das and rhythm composed by Guru Dhaneswar Swain.
The concluding item of the evening was a solo Kathak recital, presented by Utkarsh Shankar Mishra. Born into a reputed musical family belonging to Banaras gharana, Utkarsh got his initial training from his father Pandit Uday Shankar Mishra. Now he is honing his skill under the watchful eyes of Guru Dr Raksha Singh. He has performed at various prestigious festivals across the country.
His presentations included Ardhang, a composition based on Ardhanarishwar, composed by Padmabhushan Guru Pandit Birju Maharaj; sargam, set in Raga Kalawati, showcasing an intricate blend of various Jaatis including Tishra, Khand and Mishra set in three different rhythmic cycles – Ektaal, Jhaptaal and Taal Dhamar. This brilliant masterpiece has been composed by the leagendary Padmavibhushan Guru Pandit Birju Maharaj. The choreography for both the pieces has been meticulously structured under the guidance of his guru Dr. Raksha Singh.The art lovers were left mesmerized by the three performers of the inaugural evening.
The second evening was equally entertaining, with Odissi, Bharatnatyam and Manipuri presentations in store for the dance connoisseurs.
As per the tradition, the evening started with a short invocation by Apoorva Das, a disciple of Guru Madhumita Raut after the three performers of the evening were felicitated.
The first performer of the evening was Chetna Wahengbam, an eminent Manipuri dancer. Chetna is an accomplished Manipuri Classical Dance artist, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of this rich cultural tradition.
Trained under the esteemed guidance of her father, Guru Kamaljeet Wahengbam, in the revered Guru Shishiya Parampara, she have honed her skills to become a Visharad in Manipuri Classical Dance. She is also associated with PANTHOIBI JAGOI MARUP under Mrs Dhanarani Devi. She is a Doordarshan graded artiste. She has performed at prestigious platforms and festivals, both nationally and internationally. Her dance has graced audiences in France Italy Morocco United Kingdom (UK) Indonesia South Africa.
She presented Chandan Charchita, a collection of 8-stanza devotional hymns written by the 12th-century poet Jayadeva in his famous work Geeta Govinda. The Ashtapadi hymns describe the divine love between Lord Krishna and Radha, exploring themes of longing, separation, and devotion.While the item was originally choreographed by late Padamsri Th . Babu Singh, set to Taal eight matra (Tanchap), Chetna instantly stroke a chord with the audience with her balanced body movements and facial expressions.
In the second item of the evening, a solo Bharatnatyam recital was presented by Marie Elangovan, a visual treat for both trained and untrained eyes.
With a scintillating solo Odissi dance presentation by young and talented dancer Srimanta Kumar Mishra, the two-day-long Mamta Raut Dance Festival came to an end.
Srimanta stepped into the world of Odissi dance in 1990 under the guidance of Guru Madhav Chandra Palai and later from Guru Lt. Dr. Bidyutlata Chaudhury. He did his Master’s from Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, Bhubaneswar He is still continuing to learn under Guru Smt. Mukti Lata.A National Scholarship holder and recipient of Guru Deba Prasad Das award, was the youngest Question Paper Setter, Moderator and Examiner of Indira Kala Viswa Vidyalaya, Khairagarh, Chhattisgarh.
He has performed at various prestigious festivals across the nation including Khajuraho Dance Festival, Konark Music and Dance Festival, Puri-Beach Dance Festival, etc. He has also performed in Singapore, China, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Russia through ICCR(Indian Council For Cultural Relation).His institution Sanskriti School Of Dance and Music, founded in 2010, has been propagating Odissi dance.
His presentation was well upto the expectation. He presented an Odia Abhinaya ‘Nachanti Range Shri Hari…’, based on Raga Arabi and Tala Ektali, choreographed by Padmabhushan Guru Shri Kelucharan Mohapatra, music composed by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra and dance direction by Guru Smt. Muktilata Pal.Srimanta’s presentation ticked all the boxes of a good performance.
While the emcee of the first evening was Mridu Tripathi, a Doordarshan announcer, the anchor of the second evening was Srija Srinivasan, a Bharatnatyam dancer.
While Mamta Raut Dance Festival has been organized by Jayantika , a non-profit organization to promote art and culture, Mamta Raut Dance Festival 2024 is an unique festival that celebrates the works of classical dance Gurus and their promising students. It showcases the talent of the upcoming dancers alongside the dance presentations of the well known dance exponents. It has been curated by Odissi exponent Madhumita Raut, a globally recognised face of Odissi dance. She is the inheritor and proponent of her illustrious father Padmashri Guru Mayadhar Raut’s dance legacy. She 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), she 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.
