Her graceful moves, charming persona and stage presence can keep you glued to the seats for hours. “I go into a trance while performing. At that time I forget everything that is happening around me. The only person I communicate with at that time is the Almighty,” says Sikata Das.
Sikata’s dance style, especially her ‘Abhinaya’ numbers, has made her a name to reckon with in the Odissi dance circuit. She has performed at number of prestigious venues and won several awards and one of the most prominent torchbearers of Odissi in the state.
Born to Padma Shri late Manoranjan Das, one of the most celebrated playwrights of the country, Sikata took to dancing at an early age. “I am lucky to have been born in a family where creative arts were given immense importance. As a child, I would start tapping my feet the moment I would hear music. My mother, Kusum Kumari Das, came from a family of dancers and musicians. She used to play the harmonium, while my elder sisters would practice dancing,” she says.
Seeing Sikata take interest in dancing, her father took her to Kala Vikash Kendra, Cuttack, one of the premier cultural institutions of Odisha. The excitement of getting a chance to learn the nuances of Odissi form the likes of Padma Vibhushan Guru late Kelucharan Mohapatra, Guru Raghunath Dutta and Guru Ramaniranjan Jena started building on Sikata. “Unfortunately, I was told that I wasn’t eligible for admission there as I was too young and didn’t have any primary education, which was a mandatory for getting admission in Kala Vikash Kendra,” says the danseuse.
A year’s wait made Sikata somewhat impatient but her father decided against enrolling her in any other institute. “I waited for another year, till I turned five and got admission in that institute and started my training,” she says.
Since then dance has been her focus and only love. She completed her Nrutya Pravesh, Nrutyashri and finally came out with Nrutya Bhusan, the post graduation degree in Odissi from Kala Vikas Kendra. Besides, she also did a four-year extensive course in Odissi from the same institute with Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra as its director.
Sikata also completed ‘Sangeet Visharad Final’ in Odissi from Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh in 1998, wherein she secured first division with distinction. “I feel blessed to have got a chance to learn dancing from Guru late Kelucharan Mohapatra. I have tried my best to live up to his expectations. I have been performing for the last four decades but it’s a new experience every time I go on stage,” says Sikata, who has performed across the length and breadth of the country.
She has also performed at various international destinations such as Paris, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Boston, Dayton, Iowa City, St. Louis, Houston, San Diego, San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York, Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, Portland, San Antonio and Los Angeles.
Sikata also at times finds out time from her busy schedule to train aspiring Odissi dancers. In 1984, she conducted a workshop at Odissi Research Centre. Besides, she has also conducted workshops in cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Meerut, Hardwar, Roorkee and Ranchi.
“I am incomplete without Odissi. I make an effort to popularise the dance form wherever I go. After my husband was transferred to Delhi, I started an Odissi dance school, which has more than 50 students. I am lucky to have shared the staged with the likes of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, late Sanjukta Panigrahi, Sonal Mansingh and Kumkum Mohanty. I also did Odissi numbers in films like Krishna Sudama and Adina Megha,” says Sikata, who today has a dance institute in Bhubaneswar.
Sikata is also an A Grade artiste in Doordarshan. “During our times, not too many families allowed their children to learn dancing, forget taking it up as a profession. It has changed a lot today with is a good sign. At the same time, many are also trying to fuse Odissi with contemporary dance styles, which I don’t support. The originality of the dance form is getting lost because of this,” she says.
BRATATI BARAL, OP