BHUBANESWAR: The second day of ‘Baisakhi Ustav’ organised by Chinta O Chetna hosted various Odissi performers at Rabindra Mandap here Tuesday.
Akash Institutes head Ajay Bahadur, Ashok Pandey, editor, Sanmarg, Srikant Mishra, coordinator, Chinta O Chetna, Surendra Das, secretary general, Chinta O Chetna, Bana Bihari Mohanty, head, PRAYAS and Sahadev Sahu graced the occasion.
The event kick-started with Odissi dancer Ananya’s stellar performance on ‘Manabhanjana’. It was followed by ‘Shree Jagnath Sandhya alati’ amidst chanting of mantras. Guests lighted the ceremonial lamp and were later presented with Angabastra and bouquets.
Addressing the audience, Das said, “Baisakhi, in its second evening, has managed to allure dance lovers despite the election chaos all around us. The Odia New Year is the actual new year of the solar system which is also known as ‘Bisuba Sankranti’. I am truly amazed by our astrologers who predicted the day.”
“Chinta O Chetana is a 40-year-old organisation and I along with Sahadev Sahu and many others have decided to celebrate Odia New Year’s Day each year. Looking at our progress over the years, I am speechless. Lord Jagannath has blessed all of us to follow art, music and culture and to make Odisha a marvelous state,” he added.
The speech was followed by ‘Mu Nrtuyaabhinay’ which showcased the dichotomy of good and evil in the human soul. The dance drama showcased demon of four Yugas – In Satya Yug, its Heeranayshak, in Tretaya Yug its Ravana, in Dwapar its Kansha and in Kali its ‘Mu’ or ‘I’. It is a work on the arrogance of human race.
Written by Guru Naba Mishra, the work’s music was directed by Himanshu Sekhar Swain, instrument direction was by Guru Dhaneswar Swain and Khsiti Prakash Mohapatra. The songs of the drama were sung by Guru Ramhari Dash, Khisti Prakash Mohapatra, Geeta Manjari Behera and Srusti Swarupa.
Artistes from Nrutyasala group performed on the occasion. They were Ashok Ghosal, Bandita Ghosal, Satabdi Kanungo, Srusti Sahu, Aparna Biswas, Sradhanjali Panda, Saroj Sahu, Amresh Ojha, Praduymna Mohanty, Yudhistir Pradhan and Swastik Ghosal. The dance was conceived and directed by Ashok Ghosal.
It may be noted that Nrutyasala is one of the pioneering Odissi dance school in Bhubaneswae where Jagannath Chetana and culture is being taught along with Odissi dance forms. Each of these vignettes depicts a performance of Odissi classical dance in the lineage of Guru Kelucharan and Guru Deba Prasad Das.
Amelia Tripathy, a dance researcher from Toronto who visited the occasion, said, “Odissi depicts the mystisim of Lord Jagannath and I am truly speechless at the ongoing dance fest of Chita O Chetana. In my upcoming book, I am going to write how Odissi dance is not only a performance but also an everyday ritual of Lord Jagannath. The more I research, the more drawn I am towards Lord Jagannath.” Around 30 inmates of a leading NGO came to watch the second day of ‘Baisakhi Utsav’.