Baripada: An eight-member Chhau dance troupe of ‘Project Chhauni’, a project launched by the district administration in 2016, has left for West Indies and South America to spread the magic of this war dance.
Before setting off the journey, the artistes-guru Paglu Jena, Trilochan Mohanta, Biranchi Mohanty, Sachin Dhada, Tarzan Ghadei, Prabin Das, Laltu Mahanta and Nabakishore Ghadei- met collector Vineet Bhardwaj, erstwhile Mayurbhanj king Praveen Chandra Bhanj Deo and queen Rashmi Rajyalaxmi Bhanj Deo and sought their blessings for their fruitful journey.
The collector wished them, saying he is hopeful that the team would bring laurels from the foreign lands for the state as well as the nation.
Under the auspices of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), under Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, the troupe took off to Trinidad and Tobago in West Indies Friday.
The artists are scheduled to perform at a function to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, organised by Indian Embassy at Port of Spain, the capital city. They will be there till December 9. While they are to perform at several places there, they are said to conduct three workshops on Chhau dance.
From there, they will fly to Guiana of South America and there they will perform at three festivals organised by Indian Embassy. There too, the team will conduct two workshops. The team will return homeland December 11.
It may be noted here that, the ‘Project Chhauni’ was the brainchild of then collector Rajesh Prabhakar Patil. He set up it in the year 2016 and noted Chhau danseuse and researcher Subhashree Mukherjee prepared the project.
PNN