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 Janani Janma Bhumi and Kalpodip Utsav - Vijay Shanker e-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com December 23, 2023 A tribute to our motherland Azadi ka Amrit Mohotsav and Sam Ved Society of Performing Arts presented a patriotic dance tribute to our motherland, titled 'Janani Janma Bhumi' in which three classical dance styles merged - Bharatanatyam, Odissi and Kathak. Concept and artistic direction was by Uma Dogra and performance by Vaibhav Arekar, Daksha Mashruwala, Jhelum Paranjape and Uma Dogra, held at Savarkar auditorium, Mumbai, on November 23 with support from Akam, Ministry of Culture.  Uma Dogra and group  Jhelum Paranjape and group Swami Vivekananda said, "All religions lead to the same goal." Similarly in classical dance, the technique or style may differ but the sastram or the philosophy of all the classical dance styles is the same that portrays the inter relationship between the jeevatma (human soul) and paramatma (divine soul) through the medium of varied stories of mythology. It was interesting to watch how different dance styles were performed simultaneously, coming together as an ode to our motherland, revealing the patriotic spirit based on the poetic renditions by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sumitra Nandan Pant, Maithli Sharan Gupt, Nirala, Sane Guruji and Subramanya Bharati with musical rendering by Pt Durga Lal, Vasant Desai, Hemant Kumar, Manoj Desai, Jatin Sahu and Satish Krishnamurthy. 'Janani Janma Bhumi' commenced with poetic recitation by Uma Dogra, "Roshni de takat, Roshni de zindagi" projecting that light is the source of energy, life and well-being, performed by the four dancers along with their disciples in their own individualistic style and movements, creating a wonderful atmosphere of unity and power. The poetic renditions depicted varied aspects of the freedom struggle and how India emerged victorious and became an independent country against adversity with the contribution of great leaders like Gandhi, Nehru, Tilak, Subhash Chandra Bose etc and the involvement of the defence personnel to maintain peace and harmony in the country.  Daksha Mashruwalla and group  Vaibhav Arekar and group It was interesting to watch all the dancers playing their part while dancing together with the consistent and repeated musical interludes proclaiming "Janani Janma Bhumi," creating a lasting musical impact on the audience. After the interpretations by different poets that included the Tamil patriotic poet Subramanya Bharati who is acclaimed for his patriotic spirit, the one hour ten minutes thematic presentation concluded with "Vande Mataram sujalam sufalam" in which the chief guest of the evening, Anup Jalota joined the dancers in lifting and swirling the national flag to project freedom and to enhance the patriotic spirit amidst everybody, a grand finale indeed.  The lead singer was Manoj Desai with melodious support from Susmirata Dawalkar, flute by Vijay Tambe, sitar by Alka Gujar, tabla by Satyaprakash Mishra, mridangam by Satish Krishnamurthy and mardal by Rohan Dahale. The lights designer was Sushant Jadhav. It was a unique and wonderful tribute to our motherland. Kalpodip Utsav The 8th Kalpodip Utsav was presented at the ISKCON auditorium in Mumbai on 25th November featuring eminent dancers and also young dancers to encourage and promote classical arts. Performers included Manipuri by the veteran dancer Darshana Jhaveri, Kathak by Vidha Lal, Bharatanatyam by the dynamic Pavitra Bhat and Odissi by Dr. Pompi Paul. It was interesting to watch different classical dance styles on the same platform by fine dancers and also performances by the disciples of Dr. Pompi Paul. She established Kalpodip Institute in Jalpaiguri (North Bengal) in 2008, and has organised many programs and trains several aspirants too.  Darshana Jhaveri Darshana Jhaveri performed Krishnaroop Varnan, describing the matchless beauty and varied facets of the Lord in the graceful and lyrical style of Manipuri with soft and delicate movements. It was amazing to watch the veteran dancer, as she continues to dance with the same elegance and expertise, for more than five decades. The dance was based on the difficult Taal Kankan of 11 beats and 4 stresses, choreographed by Guru Bipin Singh, a fine start to the festival organised by Kalpodip Institute. Dancers of Kalpodip Institute and disciples of Dr. Pompi Paul commenced the performance with Jagannath Ashtakam in praise of Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of Odissi dance. The Shankara Pallavi exposed the stylised and rhythmic movements, inclusive of the chauka and tribangis, forming a fine synthesis of music, melody, rhythm and intricate dance movements. However, the piece-de-resistance of the evening was the dramatic display of the various incarnations of Lord Vishnu in 'Dasavatharam.'  Pompi Paul  Disciples of Pompi Paul A concise version of the Ramayana, portrayed the birth of Lord Rama, Swayamvar, Vanvas, Yuddha and finally Rajyabhishek. The role of Sita was played by Pompi Paul and the dancers included Rahi Roy, Susmita Roy, Mampi Paul, Moumita Roy, Rahul Roy, Subrata Roy, Somnath Mali and Soupal Das. Script and voice over was by Nidhi Singh, music arrangement by Subhabrata Dey. Singers and musicians were Sangita Gosain, Tiasa Basu, Dhaneswar Swain, Sapneswar Chakravarty, Srinibas Satpathy and Sukhamay Bhattacharya. Pompi Paul impressed the audience with the sensitive interpretation of the ashtapadi "Sakhi hey" describing the intimate relationship of Radha and Krishna. It was a pleasure to watch the brilliant and immaculate Kathak performance by Vidha Lal, disciple of Geetanjali Lal. Vidha commenced with the invocation of both Hari and Hara. Incorporating the facets and manifestations of both Shiva and Vishnu, along with intricate footwork created a lasting impression. Vidha Lal has been included in the Guinness Book of Records for her outstanding exposition of 103 spins. Vidha concluded her brief and vivacious performance with a beautiful Tarana.  Vidha Lal  Pavitra Bhat The only male dancer of the festival, Pavitra Bhat performed an elaborate Varnam incorporating important episodes of Lord Krishna like the birth, Poothana Moksham, Govardhana Giridhari, Kaliya Mardana and finally the Viswaroopa Darshanam that induces Arjuna to fight against adharma. Disciple of Guru Deepak Mazumdar, Pavitra Bhat undoubtedly is among the best male dancers of the country. His performances are particularly noteworthy for its stylistic quality and sensitive abhinaya. Nita Vajpayee was the compere for the festival.  Vijay Shankar is a Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, teacher, bilingual journalist, arts critic and actor. |
