[Watch] Feet Forgotten & Found: Disciples Pay Tribute To Guru Harekrushna Behera’s Pallavi

Bhubaneswar: When two disciples of Odissi artiste Kavita Dwibedi, Priyanka Das and Anusha Choudhury, took to the stage at International Odissi Dance Festival their recital flourished like a creeper.

Synchronizing their footwork to the complex and varied rhythm structure set to Raag Hansadhwani (or cry of the swan), they performed a Pallavi that was choreographed by Kavita’s father and Odissi Guru Hare Krushna Behera in 1986.

What imparted a distinct character to this choreography of the Hansadhwani Pallavi was the speed of the movements. Unlike the regular Pallavi recitals, Guru Hare Krishna Behera’s choreography didn’t start with slow and lyrical movements. Right from the beginning, the movements were fast-paced. The performance was packed with the fundamental Odissi movements of ‘tribhangi’ and ‘chauka.’

The entire composition was split in five stanzas, each having its distinct character and aesthetics. The first stanza comprised ‘Arsas,’ which refer to the longer rhythmic composition in a given Tala. The second one featured the ‘brahmaris’ or the spins executed in ‘tribhangi’ or ‘chauka’ position. The third stanza featured the bends in sync with the varying rhythm structure and changing tempo. The fourth stanza was styled as a musical ‘sawal jawab’ (question and answer)—similar to Bharatnatyam—between the ‘sargams’ and the footwork. The performance ends on an offbeat note, when the artistes matched their footwork to the missing beats.

Born in Buani village of Odisha’s Balasore in 1938, Guru Harekrushna was trained in gotipua dance by Ramahari Behera. He had also learnt Chhanda and Champu. He learnt Odissi under Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and Guru Mayadhar Raut at Kala Vikash Kendra during 1950s. He had also studied at Natya Ballet Theatre in Delhi. Sangeet Natak Akademi had given a grant to him for learning Kathak from Pandit Birju Maharaj. He had set-up the first ever school of Odissi, Nritya Niketan, in Delhi.

The festival became a platform for Kavita to revive her father’s choreography. “I love the spontaneity of this pallavi. There is stillness and swirls. It is very strong as well as graceful. When I had learnt the pallavi, I used to falter in the second stanza. I wouldn’t be able to keep the balance while performing the brahamaris. My father was strict. He told me he wouldn’t teach me if I am unable to perform the brahamris perfectly. Thus, it was a proud moment for me to revive my father’s choreography after so many years in the land of Odissi,” shares Kavita, who played the Manjira herself as her students danced accompanied by live musicians. Artiste Ramachandra Behera played the mardala, while Suresh Kumar Shetty was the vocalist. The violin was played by artiste Pradip Maharana, while Abhiram Nanada was on the flute.

The International Odissi Dance Festival is organised by GKCM Odissi Research Centre under the aegis of Department of Odia Language, Literature and Culture at Utkal Rangamancha, Bhubaneswar. The festival showcases varied aspects of Odissi repertoire through the young, legendary, established and senior dancers of repute in one platform. The dance programme was live streamed in GKCM Odissi Research Centre Facebook page and Youtube channel. The festival will conclude on December 30.