Odissi Odyssey

Dancer is the Dance


Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra played a pivotal role in giving the odissi dance its due, writes Nirupama Dutt

As his feet make rhythmic movements, the world around him breaks into a joyous dance. ``I have seen in him the graces and powers of the divine Natraja,’’ comments renowned Odissi teacher Guru Sri Ramani Ranjan Jena about Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, celebrated doyen of Odissi dance. In a rare tribute to the maestro, famed dancers from home and abroad got together in Delhi early July, on the festive day of Guru Purnima, to celebrate his 75th birthday, though the maestro insists it is the 76th.
Each dancer performed a dance choreographed by the Guru. ``It feels very good to receive such love. I am fortunate,’’ he remarked. But when asked to name his favourite pupil, he gave a mischievous smile, and said, ``I don’t want to play favourites, I love them all. I would to hurt any one of them.’’
It’s difficult indeed to make a choice. The list is formidable with names like Sanjukta Panigrahi, Sonal mansingh, Gangadhar Pradhan, Madhavi Mudgal, Protima Bedi, Sharon Lowen, Sharmila Biswas and Kumkum Lal. There are also those who have just imbibed from him, seeing him dance, like Bharatnatyam dancer Leela Samson and Odissi exponent Ranjana Gauhar, Gauhar says: ``I often tease Guruji affectionately that I am his Eklavya, for though I have not trained under him, I am his devoted disciple.’’
The living legend was born in Raghorajpur, a small village in Puri district, in 1924. Interestinly, to turn away the evil eye and counter the overpowering influence of the stars in his horoscope, his name was changed from Madan Mohan to Kelu, meaning a street performer. And this street performer willed himself to be the high priest of one of the most exquisite classical dance forms. He says: ``Odissi was not born in a day. It was a long process. Things were taken from different sources and built anew.’’
His own life, training and creativity had a major role to play in the dance form. His father was a patchitra painter and his mother, a deeply religious woman, was devoted to the arts. When he was five, his mother encouraged him to learn Gotipua, a folk dance performed by young boys dressed as girls. The story of Radha-Krishna formed the core of the dance. It was a rather crude form of street entertainment enjoying wide popularity. Mohapatra learnt in the akhada of Guru Bal Bahadra Sahu for three years without his father’s knowledge. But when his father learnt of it, he sent him to Puri to join the Raas Leela troupe of Mohan Subdar Deb Goswami. For 10 years, he learnt Vasihnava devotional acting and singing.
The young boy excelled in the role of Krishna and became his teacher’s favourite. But then something happened. Mohapatra went to see Kangan, the Ashok Kumar-Leela Chitnis film, which is today considered a classic. However, he got a slap from his teacher for watching the film. Angry, Mohapatra left the troupe to work as a labourer in a betel farm. Tending the farm and selling paan leaves in Puri for a year, he found time to practice his dance and hone his skills as a percussionist.
In 1945, he joined the Radhakant Raas Party as director. Here he found his life partner. His co-dancer Laxmipriya and also discovered his talents as a choreographer. He researched Gotipua and Mahari dances. The latter was the dying art form of the temple dancers. To these he added what he imbibed from studying the friezes of the temple sculptures.
The Odissi, which was later considered the most graceful and lyrical dance forms in the true classical tradition, was taking shape. With Independence, came an enthusiasm to revive the Indian art forms and many intellectuals and dance Gurus in Orissa put their heads together to bring alive this classical dance but Mohapatra made the most significant contribution.
His disciple Sonal Mansingh won the final recognition for the dance form. The Guru recells: ``Initially, many people made fun of me and told me that I was trying to promote some tribal dance of Orissa. But I was determined to work on this dance and get it worldwide acceptance.’’ When Mansingh performed in the Museum Theatre in 1968in the presence of classical doyens like Rukmini Devi Arundale, Mr S Subbulakshmi and Dr. V Raghavan, the dance formally got its rightful place. Rukmini Devi addressed the august audience and declared it a classical dance, no less than Bharatanatyam. ``Guruji never demanded any fees from us. We gave him what we could,’’ says madhavi Mudgal, who was a professional kathak dancer before she moved to Odissi.
Mudgal recalls an interesting anecdote. In 1970, Mudgal and Tejashree, film-maker V Shantaram’s daughter, were to be Radha and Krishna in a dance-drama on Gita Govinda, produced by renowned vocalist Pandit jasraj and his wife, Madura. Mohapatra was doing the choreography. After touching the costumes of the two and decorating their foreheads with the traditional chita, he touched their feet and said a prayer. ``I was dumbfounded. Later I realized that in all of us, he saw only the deity, says Mudgal.
Over the years, Mohapatra has given many performances abroad and accompanied his disciples on the mridangam. When asked about the innovations that can be made to the dance, Mohapatra says: `` It’s like an ocean. You can keep taking from it and adding to it but the traditional base can adding to it but the traditional base can never be discarded.’’ The Guru can be a hard taskmaster. Jhelum Paranjape, a talented young disciple, saya:`` He once rapped me hard on the fingers because I was getting a mudra wrong. It hurt but I held back my tears because he does not like tears. Later he felt he had been harsh and asked if it was still hurting.’’
Sharon Lowen says: ``I remember how he would teach us to walk like a beautiful young maiden. He would sway in front ever so graceful and we would try to clumsily follow him like ugly ducklings.’’
Asked if he still is waiting to accomplish something, he says: ``Yes, I do not have a dance which would fully explore with exquisite grace the world of the Navrasa.’’ So the obsyssey is still on.