‘Naman’, Celebrating The Humane Spirit In Dance

It was an unusual poetic ground. Poets belonging to different socio-cultural backgrounds and from diverse time zones make a common ideological space where humanity is celebrated as spirituality. What could be the poetic common ground amongst poets like Amir Khusrou (1253-1325) writing in Persian and Hindustani, Achyutananda Dasa (16^th century) writing in Odia and Mirza Ghalib ( 1797-1869) writing in Urdu? Do they have any connection to the Vedic ideology of cosmic truth?

A Vedic verse, which says – twameva bhantam anubhati sarvam: It’s you who is manifested in one and all. The same poetic spirit of Vedic richa is reflected in Ghalib’s poetry when he wrote- na tha kuchh to khuda tha, kuchh na hota to khuda hota ; when there was none it was he who was manifested in one and all.  Amir Khusrau talks about leaving all the identities of caste, creed and religion (chhap tilak sab chin li ni re tose naina milai ke) to know the supreme humane truth and the same radical thought gets a new expression in Achyutananda Dasa’s poem in Odia. (Mala tilaka na kara, bhasma angu parihara, ganga kule nahin sadagati, re mudhamati)

The spiritual idea of universal humanism was celebrated in an Odissi dance production, choreographed by Bengaluru-based Odissi dancer Madhulita Mohapatra, presented for the first time in “Naman” festival at ADA Rangamandir on August 21, 2022. Madhulita as a dancer and choreographer has carved a niche for herself in the last five years and emerged as an innovative dance director.

“Shunya to Sufi”, her new choreographic production is to be judged as an out-of-the-box art piece as it goes beyond the traditional framework and pushed the boundary of Odissi to a new horizon. The music and choreography are a brilliant blend of folk and classical. The production is mystically magical and magically mystic in its approach and effect. The slower and faster movements, the body and her shadow and the rhythmic representation of the mysticism in Madhulita’s choreography was remarkably off-beat.

“Naman” is a festival wholly devoted to Odissi and for the last so many years. The best Odissi dancers have presented their art in the capital city of Karnataka. “Nrityantar”, the Odissi dance school founded by Madhulita has nurtured hundreds of Odissi dancers and makes “Naman” a platform to showcase their talent. In the post-COVID edition of “Naman”, there was new energy and new hope among the young Odissi dancers.

Apart from the “Nrityantar” ensemble, there was a solo presentation by Arushi Mudgal from New Delhi and a duet by Rahul  Acharya and Sourav Mohanty from Bhubaneswar. At this festival, Arushi was seen coming out of her Guru, Madhavi Mudgal’s shadow and presenting herself to be an independent soloist and choreographer. She presented “Bageshree Pallavi” and “Murta – Amurta”, her own compositions and an Abhinaya piece composed by the legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. As a dancer, Arushi is graciously lyrical and as a choreographer, she seems to be the hope of the future.

Rahul Acharya is known to be one of the finest dancers of our time and his movements on the stage brought alive the sculptural marvels of Odisha temples. His superbly crafted body positions make him a poet in motion. Ably accompanied by his pupil Sourav Mohanty, Rahul transported the whole auditorium to a celestial space in a “Pallavi” based on Raaga Chakravaka. As a soloist, he presented “Sooryashtakam”  explaining all the elements of the Sun god: both sculptural and spiritual.  One can see Rahul’s sweat-soaked body as a vehicle of dance delight.

Hundreds of Nrityantar’s dancers showcased their committed art to a jam-packed auditorium on the day.