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 e-mail: leelakaverivenkat@gmail.com Celebrating India's tryst with peace through Dhauli-Kalinga Mahotsav Photos courtesy: Orissa Dance Academy February 20, 2025 The sense of standing on hallowed land registers even with those aware only of the scantiest details of history, when one visits the Dhauli Hills site in 0disha, about twenty kilometres from the capital of Bhubaneswar. Where else does world history provide another example of a conqueror asking for forgiveness after winning a hard fought battle - the ravages of war with bloodshed and suffering humanity, turning river Daya flowing through the area into Nirdaya (one without spirit of sympathy for mankind), with crimson water soaked with the blood of fallen heroes. It was here that King Ashoka took his epoch marking vow, changing the course of world history - that henceforth, forsaking war, he would conquer hearts through love and peace alone. But for this Buddhist Emperor's messengers sent to different parts of Asia, spreading the message of the Buddha, Buddhism, instead of becoming a world force, would have remained only in India! In the year 2003, in the premises of the Peace Pagoda atop the Hill, (with a small temple to Shiva, adjacent to it), the Dhauli Kalinga Mahotsav sponsored by the Tourism Department and conceived as a largely Martial Arts Festival by Italian Odissi dancer who has made Odisha her home, Ileana Citaristi, the Dhauli-Kalinga Mahotsav was established. In 2012, the festival was moved to the foot of the Hills overlooking the Peace Pagoda, on to a sumptuous stage of the Orissa Dance Academy used for its festivals organized by Guru Gangadhar Pradhan. With the changed site, the scope of the Mahotsav was enlarged by making it more inclusive with dance forms too made a part of the presentation. The sponsors are now Odia Language Literature and Culture Department of Odisha, and Orissa Dance Academy in association with Art Vision (Incredible India). Live telecast by DD Bharati has ensured wide coverage. The large performance arena with the ceremonial oath taking by VIPs facing the Peace Pagoda and temple, holding aloft burning torches in a salutation to forsake war, along with sophisticated technology of visuals (Janardhan Raj Urs and Biswajit Das), stage designing and ambience by Lee Bliss, sound and light by Kumar Lights, and exotic sets, not to speak of innumerable dancer participants from all over the country, the Mahotsav has become a high profile event. While one would like the inner worth of art forms being preserved, not camouflaged by over played flamboyance, it is this grandeur however, which is attracting young people to attend the performances, and since dance or any other art, without interested clientele cannot survive, this attraction of young people is all to the good. And thinking organizers, by arranging special transport to Dhauli and back from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are ensuring an excellent turnout every evening. For once, watching an audience with a large component of youngsters was wonderful and seeing tiny tots, dodging parents and running to the front to break into a jig along with what was happening on the stage, was a heartwarming sight! The awards in the name of late Gangadhar Pradhan presented for exceptional service to Arts comprised richly deserving names starting with the Buddha Samman 2025 for eminent singer, composer and musicologist Guru Ramhari Das, with Guru Gangadhar Smruti Samman 2025 going to eminent Odissi dancer Sharmila Biswas, singer and composer Dr.Sangita Gosain, mardala exponent Guru Kalindi Charana Parida, and noted art promoter Khirod Mohan Pattnaik. What a fine gesture to include in the presentation, saplings of fine potted plants! One cannot start the critiquing of the Mahotsav, without a special mention of the two comperes for the show Dr. Srinibas Ghatuary and Dr.Nazia Alam. Srinibas is a speech machine and never in all these years has one seen him at a loss for words. Having started the festival in good faith, with the opening announcement, the news that the Deput Chief Minister was on the way to inaugurate conveyed to him discreetly, meant that with live DD Bharti coverage, he had to continue to hold fort till he arrived! Talking sense, without losing the significance of the occasion in unconnected stray thoughts, he spoke non-stop for a period of 28 minutes, to smoothly finish by inviting the dignitary on to the stage, to light the lamp! One felt Srinibas deserved a special prize! Giving him support in English along with brief Hindi announcements, was Dr. Nazia Alam.  Soor Mandir The starting invocation to Lord Ganesha in a Ragamalika score set to Keherva taal presented by a group of dancers from Soor Mandir School of Cuttack run by Jyotsna Sahoo, made for a colourful, most attractively choreographed presentation. The much loved profile of the elephant headed God, who heralds an auspicious start to any undertaking, on his mouse vahana, with his ponderous gait, were all imaginatively caught and with the light effects and visuals aiding the performance, it made for an arresting start.  Pavitra Bhat & group The Bharatanatyam by Pavitra Bhat and his group from Pavitra Art Visual Institute Mumbai, comprised a well- turned out and well- knit company of dancers, with finished movements. One felt that the choreographer could have tried to go beyond just neat formations in the presentations - particularly in the item paying homage to the dance of Shiva in the presentation covering Pushpanjali to Tillana. For once the announcers marred their copybook with constant mention of Khandachapu Ragam! Confronted later on this faux pas, they mentioned that the information had come from Pavitra Bhatt – an impossibility! Obviously, a complete lack of communication somewhere! The only Mallakhamb organization in Odisha, Fate Fighter in Puri run by Gyan Ranjan Mohanty and group gave an excellent presentation of this martial art form with balancing feats performed round the wooden pole.   Gatha Odisha The second evening began with the marathon knitting together the entire story of Odisha, comprising its political and cultural consciousness. Representing Indian culture as a lotus, with several petals standing for different dance forms with the petal representing the consciousness of Odisha in particular, comprising an ensemble led by Orissa Dance Academy, Nrutya Naivedya, Samprada, Soor Mandir, Nilakantheswar Gotipua Gurukul, Mokshya and Cornucopia Creations. The Odisha saga cannot be told without the story of Kalinga, with Ashoka's transformation into Dharma Ashoka. What was presented was part of the marathon project with over 500 dancers presented during the Prime Minister's visit to Odisha, conceived by the main Karta of the festival, Aruna Mohanty. The story of Odisha cannot be told without the famous episode of Narasimha Deva, whose proposal to marry Padmavati, the daughter of Purushottama Deva, was turned down by the latter who refused to give his daughter in marriage to a sweeper - totally misunderstanding the significance of the ceremonial sweeping by Narasimha during Rath Jatra! The tale is that Lord Jagannath himself came to fight the war against Purushottama Deva of Kanchi, with the defeated King having to relent, as daughter Padmavati wed Narasimha Deva. The choreography in a tightly knit presentation caught images of the Orissan monsoons, the sustenance provided by Agriculture with the well-known Upendra Bhanja composition Barasarasanayana (the word split at different points to convey different meanings) with the rhythmic contribution by Dhaneswar Swain, the mardal expert. What one enjoyed was the ease in group work, with which so many threads in terms of movement styles and in strains of 'heritage and culture and spiritual ethos' came together.   Gatha Odisha The Lotus and the Bee is a metaphor oft used in dance and representing petals of the flower as symbolizing different dance cultures, colourful groups of Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kathak and Mohiniattam in a spectacular coming together, took different parts of the vast stage in individual and simultaneous movements. The particular lotus petal symbolizing Odisha was portrayed through quick scenes constituting a sea faring people, with their own culinary delights, Odishan architectonic glory with temples, its hilly regions with tribal populations, the dance of Gotipuas and of course its spiritual ethos built round the Jagannatha cult - with glimpses of Rata Jatra scenes - all flashing past in scenes comprising eye catching visuals along with quick moving action scenes. The birth of Oriya consciousness with figures like Pt.Utkalamani Gopa Bandhu Das (1877-1928), social worker, reformer, political activist, journalist, poet and what have you rolled into one, followed by merger of states like Mayurbhanj culminating in the final emergence of Odisha as a separate State in 1949. Flashing images of happiness dancing to Jhulibi to Aaje followed. The second evening's finale with Jayachandran Palazhy's Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, situated in Bangalore, as a weave of the martial art Attakkalari blended with Bharatanatyam and Kathak, looked more like a work in progress. Jayachandran is known for his Modern Dance which has acquired a reputation for good work. When viewed against this, what was presented seemed rather tame. Barring an instance fusing Kalari with Bharatanatyam, the attempt at the Kalari/Kathak blend, done to a composition like Saavan ki boondhaniyan seemed somewhat awkward. Obviously, a lot more work is needed, to arrive at a way of blending the movement styles of two systems - one a martial art from Kerala and the other a dance form evolving in the Northern regions of India.  Krishnasaranam The concluding day saw Orissa Dance Academy, Khanak Institute of Performing Arts, Pavitra Art Visual Institute and International Academy of Mohiniyattam, together presenting Krishnasaranam woven round the story of Krishna. Starting with a homage to Ganapati, the story of Krishna began with the famous Bhagavatam line Yada Yada Dharmasya… paritraanaya saadhoonaam vinashaya dushkrtam dharmasthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge with Krishna announcing that every time evil threatens to overpower good, to reestablish the power of Dharma, he will manifest on earth. Some scenes like Krishna exhorting Arjuna, son of Kunti, to rise (Udhistha Udhista Kaunteya) and fight, and the scene of Brindavan were very effective. One felt that some scenes like Narasimha killing Hiranyakashipu, the yet to manifest Kalki (not shown as arriving on horseback as usually visualized), were somewhat tame, without the impact they can evoke. The concluding note was provided by Mayurbhanj Chhau's Mayur Art Centre in Bhubaneswar, wherein students have been trained by the likes of Shrihari Nayak and Achintya Kumar Behera. They presented the myth of Shumba Nishumbha being destroyed by Devi Parvati. Seeing Chhau from its home in Odisha, for this critic was a disappointing performance. Where was the power of Mayurbhanj Chhau movement? Individual groups apart, Aruna Mohanty deserves credit for her organizing ability and smooth conducting of the Mahotsav. It is not every day that one is treated to effects like dancers with wings flying in the sky!  Writing on the dance scene for the last forty years, Leela Venkataraman's incisive comments on performances of all dance forms, participation in dance discussions both in India and abroad, and as a regular contributor to Hindu Friday Review, journals like Sruti and Nartanam, makes her voice respected for its balanced critiquing. She is the author of several books like Indian Classical dance: Tradition in Transition, Classical Dance in India and Indian Classical dance: The Renaissance and Beyond. Post your comments Please provide your name and email id along with your comment. All appropriate comments posted with name and email id in the blog will also be featured in the site. |
