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Indian heritage on foreign shores

Lasya Kala’s artistic director Saswat Joshi of Bhubaneswar was recently in Kuala Lumpur with the ninth edition of the Aekalabya…

Indian heritage on foreign shores

Representational Image (PHOTO: TWITTER)

Lasya Kala’s artistic director Saswat Joshi of Bhubaneswar was recently in Kuala Lumpur with the ninth edition of the Aekalabya Festival in honour of his guru Ileana Citaristi. Joshi is a natural dancer and leaves no stone unturned to improve his skill — he has extended his boundaries by planning his annual in a foreign land with a view to address his art to a global audience.

The festival was held at the Temple of Fine Arts in Kuala Lumpur. TS Tirumurti, high commissioner of India, was the chief guest. The piece-de-resistance of the evening was the very first dance performed by Joshi. It was a self-choreographed piece on the theme of rain. Predictably the raagas Megha Mallar Mian ki Mallar were chosen to move together. The three bends of Odissi or tribhangi were incorporated with the greatest ease, which happens only if one is obsessed with his practice. The personification of rain reached a climax when Joshi engaged in a conversation with it — Ghana ghana rasa barase. With the use of picture perfect poses, rain was described in all its glory.

Joshi’s Odissi performances have been improving by leaps and bounds. Guru Ileana Citaristi must be quite happy with her most talented disciple. She in turn performed Navarasa, a masterpiece composition of her guru Kelucharam Mohapatra. The nine basic emotions were brought alive from the different stories in the great epics. Each emotion merged into another and that was made possible because of Citaristi’s performance. However, the piece made a mark on the audience, because soon after the performance, people surrounded her wanting to take selfies.

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Kathak dancer Manisha Gulyani of the Jaipur Gharana delighted the audience with the purest form of Kathak. Some shlokas are eternal in their beauty and Gulyani with her impressive stage presence became the connoisseurs delight making an impressive start on Nagendra haraya trilochanaya. With great style, she entered the stage with aamad in a slow tempo and rendering thaat with picture perfect poses. Farmaishi bandish, choot, tipalli — three tempo layas one after the other — endeared her to the public, specially the rendition of Bedam Tehais without any gap. When the dancer took chakkars non-stop, which a Kathaka is practised to do, it was a jaw-dropping moment. Mayur paran, farmaisi tukras, gat nikas, chals or basic ang movements and tatkar in the end, elevated the evening’s renditions. Next up, Hori in Jayajayanti raga and keharba taal of eight beats, Ae ri aaj hori mein khelunga dat ke, was a catchy tune — with the youthful dancing of Gulyani, the audience became a part of the performance.

Sandhya Manoj, a resident of Malaysia for almost 17 years, hones her Odissi skills from Ratikant Mohapatra. She is proficient in other classical forms but Odissi is her first love. Seeing her perform Adi Parashakti or Dasam Mahavidya, there was no doubt in any one’s mind as to why she richly deserved the Aekalabya Award this year. Her dance, though not self-choreographed, possessed happiness through the perfect rendition of the piece.

Jhilik Bhattacharya has a long way to go in her journey as a Bharatnatyam dancer. She has good stage presence but cannot hope to stand at par with long practiced performers. On the other hand, Praveen Gangani is an accomplished Kathak teacher who has made Kuala Lumpur his home and teaches Kathak at the Temple of Fine Arts. Bharatanatyam dancer Sri Kandaswamy is a product of the Temple of Fine Arts and his flawless rendition of Ardhanariswar left me amazed.

Joshi’s troupe was invited by the Odia Association at Sembilan, a village in Malaysia, to present this unique art of their home country for them. Parti Makkal Sakti Malaysia Persatuan Kaum welcomed Joshi with great fanfare. After paying his humble obeisance to the audience who were practically not exposed to the beauties of Odissi, he commenced eulogising Ganesha, which is a custom amongst all Indian classical dancers. Thus Mushika Vahana, Uma Suta’s Chaturbhuja Mangal Murti, was prayed to. An Odissi performance has to be dedicated to Lord Jagannatha of Puri. Therefore the dancers had actually entered the proscenium stage with folded hands and dance bhangis in the Odissi style with Jagannatha Swamy Nayanapatha gami bhavatumei on their lips.

Nothing can equal the dance involving the nine cosmic avatars of Ma Durga and Jaya Bhagavata Devi Namaha was a great hit with the audience. The dancers bow down to the slayer of the demons Shumbha Nishumbha’s various incarnations in myriads of brilliant poses with the popular chant Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu Matri/Sakti/Santi Rupena Sansthitha Namasthasayi, namo namaha.

Joshi who is proficient in the folk dances of Odisha, had planned to show the simple village folks of Malaysia their heritage. But having satiated themselves with the rich classical culture of their homeland, they made a beeline for the rich spread that was served to them in a makeshift pavilion.

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