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 The 24th edition of Sattriya Kendra's Nrityaparva 2024 - Dr. Jintu Sarma e-mail: drjintusarma@gmail.com Photos courtesy: Sattriya Kendra, SNA December 5, 2024 "Jaya Guru Shankara, Sarbba Gunakara Yakeri Nahike Upama Tohari Charanaku Renu Satakouti Bareka Koroho Pranama...." (Guru Bhatima, Shri Madhavadeva, 15th century) Sattriya, a classical dance form hailing from Assam, traces its roots to the 15th century. Conceived by the great Vaishnava saint Sankaradeva, it initially served as a medium for propagating the Vaishnava faith through Ankiya Nat, one-act plays. Performed within Sattras (Vaishnava monasteries), Sattriya seamlessly blends elements of Nritta (pure dance), Nritya (expressive dance), and Natya (dramatic performance). Its repertoire encompasses solo dances, group performances, and dramatic enactments. Sattriya's unique blend of grace, intricate footwork, and expressive hand gestures, coupled with its profound emotional depth, sets it apart as a captivating and spiritually enriching dance form. After its recognition by the Ministry of Culture, Govt of India in 2000, the Sangeet Natak Akademi is organizing a grand festival titled 'Nrityaparva'. After the establishment of Sattriya Kendra under SNA in 2008, the festival is organized by the centre under the support of SNA. This time, the 24th edition was held at Sri Madhavadeva International Auditorium and Conference Hall of Sattriya Kendra, Guwahati during 15-18 November 2024.  Inauguration of Nrityaparva The inaugural program started with the lighting of lamp by Guru Jatin Goswami, Dulal Roy, Ghanakanta Bora Borbayan, Prof. Pradip Jyoti Mahanta, Bipin Kumar, Chairman, Advisory Committee of Sattriya Kendra and Rahul Chandra Das, Director, Cultural Affairs, Govt. of Assam. The opening item was a Gayan Bayan, performed by Hari Prasad Saikia Barbayan, an A-Grade artist of Doordarshan, and his group from Guwahati. The rendition of the group was grandiose. The second item was performed by Bhabananda Barbayan, New Delhi. He is one of the most eminent Sattriya gurus who was recognized as the youngest Borbayan at the age of 16. He presented Isha Vandana, praying to the Almighty along with both the Gurus and the audience. The act was based on the Sutradhari Nach. The accompanists were Niranjan Borbayan (khol), Debajit Dutta (gayan), Dipendra Sarma (violin), Nabajit Saikia (flute). Bhargav Hazarika of Biswanath and Bijumoni Gogoi from Sivasagar performed a duet. They started their recital with a ghosha of Madhavadeva, "Gopiniro dhan brojero jiwan..." and then performed Bor Ramdani -1 of Chali Nach followed by abhinaya on Srimanta Sankaradeva's Keligopal and then Nator Geet on "Romoya koru modono khela" based on Kirtan Ghosha. Here they pleasingly represented the Rasa Krida of lord Krishna in Vrindavan. The act was accompanied by Jatin Mahanta (khol), Pranab Dutta (vocal), Dwijen Khound (violin), Monoranjan Borah (flute). The item was composed by Haricharan Bhuyan Borbayan and Jatin Mahanta directed the music. Mridusmita Dutta, Vasundhara Baruah and Violina Thakuria from Guwahati presented 'Amrit Manthan'. The recital was choreographed by Nrityacharya Jatin Goswami. The accompanists were Bhupen Nath (vocal), Biswajit Bordoloi (khol), Nabajit Saikia (flute), Dwipendra Sarma (violin), Gitika Dutta and Giren Kalita (taal). Dr. Manikangkana Barman, a graded artiste of Doordarshan Kendra, Guwahati, started her recital with a Ghosha followed by a pure form of Sutradhari Nritya of Barpeta Sattra on Aktaal. Then she presented a composition on the story of Surpanakha based on Aranya Kanda of Ramayana of how Ravana's sister Surpanakha proposed to lord Rama and he turned her down, then she attempted to attack Sita, Lakshmana cut off her nose and so on. Manikangkana impeccably portrayed the story. The accompanists were Gunin Ojah, Hemendra Kumar Das (vocal), Nupurjyoti Medhi (khol), Nikunja Pathak (flute), Ripunjeet Borah (violin), Udipta Pathak (taal). Prasanta Pachani Borbayan from Majuli and Pallab Borah of Bhogpur Sattra, Titabar started their recital with playing Lanaghat, Bandharag, Turbasanta raag followed by Ramdani. Finally they did an abhinaya for the Borgeet "Brindabane vetolo hariye gunero nidhi...." describing the characteristics of lord Krishna. They were accompanied by Manik Borbayan (vocal), Hari Prashad Borbayan (khol), Nabajit Bora (taal), Prasanna Baruah (flute).  Pragati Sanskritik Prasikshan Bikash Kendra The last item of day one was by the students of Pragati Sanskritik Prasikshan Bikash Kendra, Guwahati which was established in the year 1993. They performed Kalakatiya Ramdani. They started with Ghosha "Krishna Eka Deva Dukhahari.." followed by abhinaya for the song "Shyama muruti pito ambaru lacha..." of Keligopal Naat of Srimanta Sankaradeva and ended with a Mela Nach of Chali. The recital was accompanied by Biswajit Bordoloi (khol), Namita Das Bayan (vocal), Biplobjyoti Bordoloi (taal), Gouranga Bordoloi (bortaal), Nabajit Saikia (flute), Ripunjit Bora (violin). Day two started with seminar cum lecture demonstration. The event was held at Sattriya Kendra conference hall. A led-dem was presented by Prateesha Suresh and Boris Dutta. Prateesha Suresh has trained in both Sattriya and Bharatanatyam. She is a disciple of Raseswar Saikia Borbayan, Ghanakanta Bora Borbayan and Haricharan Bhuyan Borbayan. Her topic was 'Angika: the use of body in Sattriya dance'. She exquisitely illustrated the activities of Anga (head, chest, hips, arms etc) and Upanga (elbow, eyebrow etc.) along with the narration of "Hasta-Pada Samayoga" with Mati Akhara and all. Another panellist was Boris Dutta, Asst. Prof of Performing Art of Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva Viswavidyalaya. He delivered a lecture on the topic 'Sattriya dance tradition: From Guru-Shishya parampara to academic discipline'. Here he narrated about the customs of Sattriya tradition in Sattras and how it has moved to the academic syllabus and how it is helpful for the society and the students. The session was chaired by renowned drama artiste Avinash Sharma. The first item of second day evening was a Gayan-Bayan presented by Barpeta Sattra, which was established by Mahapurush Madhavadeva in 1583. Then Preetilekha D. Chowdhury started her recital with a Namghosha followed by Rojaghariya Chali, Gitabhinaya and Mela Nach. Accompanists were Rajashree Kalita (vocal), Dipendra Sarma (violin), Nabajit Saikia (flute), Naren Chandra Baruah (khol), Debajit Dutta (taal). The item was composed by Naren Chandra Baruah. Leena Sharma and Himakshi Das started their performance with Namghosha "Krishna Eka Deva Dukhahari..." and performed the Bor Ramdani of Suddha Chali Nach, which was followed by an abhinaya on "Nrishingha Murari". This abhinaya was based on Bhatima of Rukmini Haran Nat and Kirtan Ghosha. The recital was accompanied by Bhaskar Jyoti Oja (khol), Krantika Shyandilya (vocal), Dwipandra Sarma (violin), Nabajit Saikia (flute) and Dipjyoti Das and Dipankar Arandhara (taal).  Rangalaya Kala Kendra The Rangalaya Kala Kendra was established in 2008 at Guwahati. The students of this institution - Gaurab Das, Abhijit Boro and Kishore Kumar Rajbongshi - presented all three parts of Jhumura - Ramdani, Geetor Nach and Mela Nach. In Geetor Nach they performed abhinaya on the borgeet "Mohono Bawoto Benu..." by Madhavadeva played on the taal thukoni, suta, joti, melajoti and pori. The dance was composed by Bijita Goswami. They were accompanied by Nityananda Deka (vocal), Arunabhjyoti Malakar (khol), Nabajit Saikia (flute), Bijita Goswami and Jushnukamal Goswami (taal). Kakali Bezbaruah and Kangkana Sharma from Guwahati presented a Suddha Chali followed by Mela Nach on the taal thukoni, suta and ektaal. They did an abhinaya on the story of Vaaman Avatar of lord Vishnu and depicted how he crumpled the ego of king Bali by eliminating his pride by asking for three feet of land. They portrayed the act flawlessly and held the audience attention. Accompanists were Dhrubajyoti Barua (vocal), Debajit Dutta (khol), Prasanna Baruah (flute) and Lakshyan Kumar Nath (cymbal). The composition of the item was by none other than guru Jatin Goswami. Bandana Kakoti, Rekharani Das started with a Ghosha "Harito sharan Loiya jito jonoye..." scripted by Madhavadeva followed by 2 no. Bor Ramdani of Suddha Chali Nach. They concluded the recital with an abhinaya for the Borgeet, "Ago mai tuhari tonoya jadumoni....", where they revealed the story of Bakasura Vadh by Lord Krishna and the affection of Nanda-Yasodha towards him. The act was accompanied by Giren Kalita (khol), Prasanna Baruah (flute), Dipen Sarma (violin), Prashanta Rajkowar (vocal and music composition), Khilon Dorjee (taal). The item was choreographed by Anita Sharma. The last item of second day's program was staged by the students of Bhongima Kala Kendra from Sivasagar founded in 2012. The students performed Bor Ramdani, Geetor Nach & Mela Nach and concluded with an abhinaya. The artistes were Angira Baruah, Natasha Borthakur, Kasturi Dutta, Arohi Sange, Sankalpita Baruah, Pubali Chetia. They were accompanied by - Dhrubajyoti Baruah (vocal), Debajit Dutta (khol), Prasanna Baruah (flute), Laxman Nath (taal). The item was choreographed by Nrityacharya Jatin Goswami. The third day's program started with the lec-dem at the conference hall of Sattriya Kendra. The panellists were Dr. Tribeni Goswami Mathur from Pune and Dr. Nayanmoni Phukan, Dibrugarh. Dr. Mathur, a former journalist and recipient of Fulbright Fellowship elaborated on the topic 'Practice based research in performing arts: tools and techniques'. Dr. Mathur enlightened the thoughts of research philosophy and why the practise based qualitative research design is more important and effective for the performance. She also emphasised on the practice based syllabi of the universities and other academic institutions which will enhance the aptitude of the students. Dr. Nayanmoni Phukan is a lecturer of Art and Creative Education at DIET, Tinsukia. Her topic was 'Study on Chali dance and its aesthetic uniqueness'. Dr. Phukan tried to trace the uniqueness of Chali. This session was chaired by renowned scholar, academician and GC member of SNA Prof. PJ Mahanta. Prof. Mahanta elucidated in meticulous way about the lectures. He emphasized on the importance of research in the performing art in line of Dr. Mathur's lecture. Further, he illuminated on the topic's aesthetic uniqueness. He noted that there are lots of scopes in this topic as elucidated by Dr. Phukan during her lec-dem. Prof. Mahanta also stressed on 'aesthetic' part of the lecture on Chali Nach, which was delivered by Dr. Phukan. It's a matter of major research about the movements of different angas-upangas in Chali and in other dance forms, where the aesthetic lies. It was a brainstorming session enjoyed by houseful of scholars.  Release of book 'Oisono Janama Gowai' A book titled 'Oisono Janama Gowai' based on the life and work of Guru Jatin Goswami was released by Ghanakanta Bora Borbayan. The book is published by Banalata and edited by noted journalist Pulin Kalita. The first program of third evening was a Mridangiya Gayan Bayan presented by Chaporigaon Gayan-Bayan Goveshanagar and Prakshishan Parisad, Dhemaji established in the year 2014. In this form, Bayan plays mridang instead of khol as we generally see in Gayan Bayan tradition.  Gayan Bayan by Chaporigaon After that, senior artiste Anjali Borbora Borthakur, a recipient of SNA Yuva Puraskar in 2019, from Jorhat performed a solo. She started her recital with a Suddha Chali Nach and presented Kolakatiya Ramdani part played in suta taal. She then performed a graceful abhinaya on the story of 'Tulashi Vindawati' taken from Shri Brahmaboibartya Purana. The story goes on how Tulsi became a tree and so holy and why Tulsi is so attached with Saligram. The item was accompanied by Pranab Jyoti Dutta (vocal), Manoranjan Bora (khol), Anupam Bora (flute), Dijesh Khound (violin), Manash Saikia (taal). The script was written by Gopal Chandra Bordoloi and choreographed by Anjali Borbora Borthakur. The third item presented by Anwesha Baruah and Khirod Borah from Dhemaji started with a Vandana, set to a verse from Srimanta Madhavadeva's Namghosha. This invocation was performed in the traditional melody of Ghosha, with rhythmic support in sutkala taal and ek taal. The artists then performed a Shuddha Nritya sequence, which unfolds in two parts: Nadubhangi and Rajaghoriya Chali, on suta taal. The duet concluded with an abhinaya based on Srimanta Sankaradeva's unique Totoy - "Madhu danava darana deva baram, bara barija lochana chakra dharam...", set to sutkala taal and ek taal. This recital was imbued with flawless movements and depiction of purusha and prakriti style. Accompanying artists were -khol: Naren Dutta, mridanga: Udipta Pathak, vocal: Rajeshree Kalita, Jyotishman Moran, taal: Tirtha Nath, violin: Dwipendra Sarma and flute: Nabajit Saikia. This was followed by the performance of Minakshi Gogoi, Ria Saikia and Krishnali Pathak from Dibrugarh. They started with Bor Ramdani of Chali Nach, followed by a piece of shabdabhinaya based on Madhavadeva's Borgeet, "Bahir huia ase dekhu hui" which portrays the leelas and childhood character of Balak Krishna. They concluded with 'Shuk' and Chali Mela Nach. Accompanists were Bidyut Bikash Borah (khol), Pratiksha Borah (vocal), Manuranjan Morah (flute), Dijesh Khaund (violin), Dhanyajyoti Gogoi (taal), music and dance choreography by Minakhee Gogoi. The fifth item was presented by Jagat Chandra Barik and Pankaj Baruah from Guwahati. Their dance was based on the play "Bhojan Bahar" by Madhavadeva. This depicts the various deeds performed by Sri Krishna in Vrindavan, and about the glory of the appearance, beauty, etc. of Sri Krishna. They performed in two parts, Ramdani and Geetor Nach. "Vrindavane vetlo hari he guner nidhi" was sung in the Vasanta raga in the Ramdani section and the Geetor Nach section. The act was accompanied by Debajit Dutta (khol), Gautam Bayan (vocal), Prasanna Baruah (flute), Gyanen Kashyap (taal). Mayukh Jyoti Saikia from Sivasagar and Priyanka Bordoloi and Nimisha Bora from Jorhat performed Ramdani section of Nadubhangi Nach in pure traditional style played in thukoni and suta taal. Then they performed Geetor Nach in the borgeet "Aba sakhi pekhu madana gopala..." Accompanists were Pankaj Saikia Borbayan (khol), Manash Jyoti Saikia (taal), Monoranjan Bora (flute), Dwijesh Khound (violin), Uday Dutta (vocal).  Sattriya Kendra's workshop production under Ghanakanta Bora Borbayan The last item was a Sattriya Kendra's workshop production. In the month of July, a workshop was organized by Sattriya Kendra under SNA for the young participants. About 100 students participated in this workshop in 4 groups; 2 intermediate and 2 advanced groups. A total of 18 resource persons including SNA awardees, Bismillah Khan Yuva awardees and other renowned Sattriya exponents were invited to train participants. They were Nrityacharya Jatin Goswami, Ghanakanta Bora Borbayan, Haricharan Bhuyan Borbayan, Ramkrishna Talukdar, Anita Sharma, Meernanda Borthakur, Mukunda Saikia Borbayan, Seujpriya Borthakur, Tankeswar Hazarika Borbayan, Prabhat Kakati, Dipjyoti Das and Dipankar Arandhara, Bhaben Borbayan, Pankaj Saikia Borbayan, Anwesha Mahanta, Prema Oja Borbayan and Gobinda Saikia. Some of the selected participants performed a recital starting with a Ghosha followed by Raamdani of Rajaghara Chali Nach. After that they performed Geetor Nach based on "Ee Sokhi salahu bahari..." of Keligopal Naat on Brahma taal. Accompanying artistes were Debajit Saikia- khol, Hari Saikia and Anwesha Mahanta - taal, Prasanna Baruah - flute, Gautam Bayan - vocal, Debajit Goswami - violin. The item was choreographed by Ghanakanta Bora Borbayan, assisted by Anwesha Mahanta. It was a delightful project of Sattriya Kendra and the month-long efforts of the resource persons was highly appreciated.  Prof. V. Madhurima The fourth day lec-dem was delivered by Prof. V. Madhurima, Professor of Physics in Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur. She has trained in Bharatnatyam and also has a diploma in Art & Natyashastra from Nalanda Dance Research Institute, Mumbai. Her topic was 'Grace in motion: traditional elegance and scientific expression of Indian classical dances'. Madhurima very vividly expounded the nature of 'motion' in Indian dance forms in a very interesting way. She illustrated the statement that 'dance is a movement with aesthetics'. The scientific approach of movements in dance is highly vital for the practitioner for better performance. This kind of lecture on traditional dance forms with scientific insight is very timely and Sattriya Kendra, SNA needs to be commended. The session was chaired by Sharodi Saikia. The evening program started with the performance of traditional Gayan Bayan as always. Under the Guru Sishya Parampara scheme at Kamalabari Sattra, Guru Haricharan Bhuyan Borbayan was engaged in Sattriya Kendra's training project for Gayan Bayan. After the training, few selected participants presented a soothing performance with Saru Sahini and Saru Dhemali in suta, ek taal and thukuni taal. After that, Tankeswar Hazarika Borbayan, Pankaj Saikia Borbayan and Niranjan Hazarika Bayan from Sri Kamalabari Sattra, Titabar presented a part of Ramdani of Bhojan Behar Nach followed by Geetor Nach in Borgeet, "Vrindabane vetolo..." Accompanists were Paramananda Kakati Borbayan and Uday Dutta - vocals, Jatindra Mahanta - khol, Durgeswar Bora - flute, Debajit Datta - taal. Upcoming Sattriya artiste Meenakshi Medhi presented a ghosha written by Madhavadeva, Hajowalia Ramdani of Chali, followed by Geetor abhinaya set in raag Kalyaan, based on the story of Savitri, which highlight the attitude of a fearless lady, who won against all adversities. Accompanists were Krantika Sandilya - vocals, Arunabh Jyoti Malakar - khol, Dwipendra Sarma - violin, Nabajit Saikia - flute, Himangshu Kalita - taal. The third recital was presented by Priyakshee Kataky from Dibrugarh and Ruma Rulika Bhuyan from Guwahati. They started with Chali Nach (Saru Ramdani), showcasing graceful movements rooted in the Sattriya tradition. The abhinaya was based on the Borgeet "Jaya Jaya Ram Raghava....", an eternal composition by Madhavadeva. The abhinaya highlights pivotal moments from the Ramayana: Lord Rama's triumph over Vali, his act of crowning Sugriva as the rightful king, the monumental construction of the Setu Bandhan bridge, and the battle between Lord Rama and Ravana. The piece concluded with the victorious rescue of Sita. Direction was by Ranjumoni Saikia and Chandra Baruah. Music was composed by Naren Chandra Baruah. Accompanists were - khol: Arunabh Jyoti Malakar, vocal: Jyotishman Moran, taal: Naren Chandra Baruah and Tirtha Kumar Nath, flute: Nabajit Saikia, violin: Dwipendra Sharma. Then a trio Juthika Medhi, Sonjit Das, Karabi Uzir from Barpeta started with Ramdani part of Chali Nach followed by a dance-drama on the story of Ajamil, how he came under the influence of a prostitute and despite lots of wrongdoings how Lord Vishnu finally redeemed him. The abhinaya part was splendid. Dance was directed by Bhudev Das. Accompanists were: khol - Nupurjyoti Medhi, vocal - Kaushik Das, Pritisikha Das, flute - Prasanna Baruah. Chitralekha Gogoi and Jayashree Das Kalita from Guwahati started their recital with Nandi Sloka of Ram Vijay drama followed by Suddha Nach - Kolakatiya Ramdani of Chali and then performed an abhinaya on the Votima of Ram Vijay drama. Recital was directed by Dhrubo Jyoti Pathak and choreographed by Chitra Lekha Gogoi Khaund, accompanied by Arunabh Jyoti Malakar on khol, Chayanka Khaund on taal, Babanita Das on vocal, Nabajit Saikia on flute and Ripunjit Bora on violin. The last item of this grand festival was performed by the members of Sri Sri Auniati Sanskritik Sewa Samiti, Majuli. Artistes performed the famous Apsara Nritya of Sri Auniati Sattra. The same dance is also known as Indravishekh Nritya in Sri Sri Dakhinpat Sattra. Interestingly, though it's a feminine dance form, it is customarily performed by all males. The artistes were Girindra Goswami, Rupjyoti Hazarika, Manoj Saikia, Sarat Hazarika, Suman Kalita, Jitupan Borthakur and Jadumani Hazarika. Accompanied by Prasanna Bhuyan and Jayanta Saikia on khol, Nitupawan Gogoi on flute, Gobinda Bora and Bijit Kalita on vocal. The performance of this special dance was very joyous and the rhythm of the group was creditable. The four days long program was helmed by Indrajit Das and Eepsita Hazarika. Finally, after four days of vibrant evenings with 28 Sattriya recitals having solo, duet, trio and group performance along with 5 brainstorming technical sessions with lec-dems, the 24th edition of 'Nrityaparva 2024' concluded successfully with the footfall of galaxy of Sattriya veterans and lovers. Dr. Pratibha Sharma, the current Project Director of Sattriya Kendra, SNA, Guwahati, offered the formal vote of thanks.  Dr. Jintu Sarma is an Asst Professor of Botany, Guwahati College, by profession, and a dance critic and columnist by passion. |
