An inspiring recital of Odissi dance

Tennyson Rodrigo

DANCE: There couldn't have been a more fitting event to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of India's independence than the delightful performance of 'Odissi' dance held at the Bishop's College Auditorium on August 15.

Srimathi Bindu Juneja along with her two disciples (Gitanjali Singh Deo and Kalyani Phagre) and a quartet of musicians gave a dedicated performance that defined the quintessence of India's Odissi dance form. It was a rare gift to have had the opportunity to be a part of the audience and imbibe the beauty of it all.

A haunting after-taste of this aesthetic experience coerced me to reflect on an explore the underlying mystique of India's classical dance heritage. In this endeavour, I might have inescapably been drawn into anexcessive interpretation of the evening's impressions. If in that process my imagination has stretched beyond the boundaries of Bindu Juneja's idea and creativity, so be it.

India's great dance heritage

Although Bindu Juneja first trained as a Bharatha Natyam dancer, she was soon attracted to the Odissi form of dance in which she is a skilled exponent.

It's awesome even to contemplate on how one could capture in a few paragraphs, the origins, evolution and the surviving foundations of India's contemporary classical dance forms. Stated simply and broadly, they are the contemporary expressions in that genre of the culture and ethos of a particular region or a group of people.

There are about six recognized classical dance forms each of which represents a distinguishing set of ethnic, cultural and artistic identities: Kathakali and Mohiniyattam of Kerala, Kathak of Uttar Pradesh, Manipuri of Manipur, Bharata Natyam of Tamilnadu and Odissi of Orissa are the main forms.

While these dance forms are well differentiated, two profound and ancient inheritances have bestowed upon all of them a heritage of commonality. The first is that they all owe the basics of their aesthetics to the seminal treatise known as "Natya Shastra", written by the sage Bharatha Muni during 200 BC-200 AD.

Natya Shastra is the world's oldest surviving treatise on all aspects of dance, dramaturgy, music, theatre. instruments and all else associated with stagecraft and aesthetics.

The second is the availability of a rich and infinite repository of substance that provides the essential inspiration for creativity and the content for narrative and choreographic expression. This repository is the bedrock of India's timeless spiritual heritage-manifested typically in its mythology, mysticism, philosophy, literature, poetry and systems of belief.

Some believe that as between the different dance forms, Bharatha Natyam and Odissi are the more faithful adherents of the canonic prescriptions of the Natya Shastra. Whilst that might be arguable and of limited relevance, a comparison of some features of the two forms would illustrate how India's classical dance forms with a common heritage assert their identities to this day.

Bharatha Natyam has a titanic majesty and is steeped in tradition and technical complexity, its symmetrical and angled movements are vigorous and sculpturally granitic.

A recital of Bharatha Natyam is formally structured much like a monumental symphony of several movements in baroque/classical style. Odissi on the other hand is graceful, sensuous and fluid.

It "Thribangi" posture of tilting the neck, waste and the knee to create a helix-like shape in space is characteristic. It veers towards 'romanticism' and can be rendered as stand-alone dance episodes either in solo form or as ensembles.

Music is integral and inseparable to both dance forms and yet the differentiation is tangibly evident. For example, on Odissi the pakhavaj replaces the mridangam of Bharatha Natyam; the sitar replaces the violin and North Indian ragadhari music replaces the carnatic tradition.

Buddhopadesh

The customary beginning of an Odissi recital is the Mangalacharan - an invocation to a presiding deity such as Lord Jaganath to seek his blessings. On this occasion however, Bindu Juneja had attached the epithet "Buddhopadesh" to her Mangalacharan.

The printed program also noted within parenthesis that the opening item was "specially (sic) composed for the occasion."

The state of Orissa in eastern India (part of the ancient Kalinga empire) is the abode of today's Odissi dance. It also has a special place in Buddhist history as it evokes the supreme act of Emperor Asoka's embrace of Buddhism after his relentless and brutal pursuit of warfare that cost countless human lives.

Fast-forwarding to contemporary times, an Odissi dancer was to perform in a country where a Buddhist consciousness is vibrantly alive. And so here was a contextual platform for Bindu Juneja, who is also a graduate in Arts, to adorn her Mangalacharan with some legendary Buddhist wisdom.

The item started with a melodic refrain without rhythm on the bansuri (flute), impressionistically suggestive of Yaman or Kalyani ragas; the ambience was sublime and calming. As the deep resonating beat of the Pakhavaj introduced the rhythm, Bindu Juneja appeared on the stage like an inspired angel eager to narrate a story of devotion.

The lithe footwork and her sculpturesque postures were exquisite and graceful; she was the epitome of a compact Odissi exponent. The story was told in the "Nritya" idiom of representational classical dance - with the gestures, moods, emotions and all else it entails. It was also a perfect exposition of the inseparability of music, song and dance.

The lyrics were in Sanskrit and possibly nobody in the audience understood the deeper meaning of the dancer's story. But the word Buddhopadesh was clearly meant to be the guiding words of the Buddha.

If one didn't understand the lyrics, the amalgam of dance and music alone was transcendental. There was devotion written on each and every step, bodily movement and facial expression. As the item ended with a sublime "Mudra of Salutation", eyes closing and lights fading, the ultimate extinction and the ephemerality of all things was serenely symbolized.

While the visual and aural impacts were elevating, for me there was still a void - a compelling curiosity as to what the Sanskrit lyrics conveyed. After the recital was over, I rushed to accost the musicians to inquire how I might get to know the story of the dance.

Spontaneously and willingly I was given a few photo-copied pages that contained in Devanagari script what I believed was at least part of the story that the vocalist sang.

The next day I consulted my dear friend and erudite scholar, Ratna Handurukande, Emeritus Professor of Sanksrit, University of Peradeniya, who happily and willingly satiated my curiosity.

In a neat written interpretation of her own she conveyed to me that the story was an ornate poem titled 'Saundaranandam Kavyam' by poet Asvagohosha who lived in the first century AD. Saundaranandam is derived from an amalgamation of Sundari and Nanda. Nanda (who was Buddha's first cousin) and Sundari were in love with each other.

I would sidetrack further away from the Odissi recital if I were to deal with the Ashvaghosa's poem chapter and verse. But I cannot resist reproducing just two lines from the stanza dealing with Nanda's enforced renunciation.

"Of joys (ananda) the joy of spirituality is the greatest.

Of sorrows, the sorrow of ignorance is the most sorrowful."

The Pallavis

There were two separate items in the program titled 'Pallavi'. The first in raga Jaitkalyan was performed by Bindu Juneja while the other was a duet by Gitanjali Deo and Kalyani Phagre in raga Shankarabharanam.

In a very brief introduction, an announcer referred to 'Pallavi' as a tender blossom'. In the course of my searches, I found that in Sanskrit the word 'Pallava' could mean 'leaf'. There is also an explanation that it means an 'elaboration' giving an inkling of an 'awaiting to blossom out'. And in carnatic music it has an entirely different meaning that's totally unrelated to dance.

Semantics apart, Pallavi in Odissi is pure dance 'Nritta', devoid of narrative content. Perhaps the tightest fusion between music and dance is the defining quality of Pallavi, with rhythmic intricacies in full flow. Furthermore, it is pronouncedly, 'music-oriented' with the exposition of a specific raga and the cascading of rhythmic patterns; the extensive use of Jatis (vocally rendered rhythmic syllables) and Swaras (sung notes), is analogous to the Tillana in Bharatha Natyam.

Starting with a sense of immediacy, the dancer accelerates to demonstrate the lyrical charm, grace, artistry and mastery of the dancer. The virtuosic synchronisation between the rhythms of the Jatis, postural flow in space and the floor-stamping feet - adorned with ankle bells - was riveting. It was a treat to see all that mastery and artistry in the Pallavi of Bindu Juneja.

The Pallavi duet was the first appearance of her two disciples. Their entry on to the stage was indeed like adjacent tender blossoms; as they danced briskly, the white semi-circular headgear moved in tandem like two floating halos. During the entire dance the duo rarely separated more than a metre from each other as they moved deftly and in synchrony with mesmerising drumbeats and the frenzied vocal renderings.

Ramashtakam and the Tandava

Ramashtakam is an octet of versus extolling the attributes of Ramachandara (Rama); the versus were sung by the vocalist with musical accompaniment and the dance was performed by Bindu Juneja; the Shiva Tandava Stotra was a hymn of praise attributed to Ravana who was a passionate devotee of Lord Shiva.

Here again the dancer plunged into the rich reservoir of Hindu mythology to weave the attributes of her chosen characters in a representational Odissi exposition.

The oneness of souls

The dance recital was a joint presentation by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations and the High Commission of India. There was a sheet of paper placed on every seat in the auditorium seeking answers to a questionnaire on the performance.

I was somewhat clueless about filling a questionnaire on an aesthetic experience of this nature. And I refrained. But it would be interesting to know the interpretation of what the audience had to say and the conclusions reached.

We don't hear much about the Indian Council of Cultural Relations. It would be wonderful if programs of Indian classical music and dance are more frequently staged in Sri Lanka under the auspices of this institution. The creative imagination inherent in India's classical heritage is infinite and edifying.

A former Indian High Commissioner had once referred to India and Sri Lanka as "Two Nations with One Soul". India is modernising rapidly and there is an associated gung-ho consciousness associated with it. Bollywood and the swinging, urban jet set of the fast-growing affluent are defining a new India. And Sri Lanka, tragically, is drowning in a culture of violence, conflict and bitter political acrimony.

The concept of two merged souls or the spiritual sanctity of a traditional single soul could be anachronistic. Yet, for India's classical art forms there is still hope. It's ages since the dancing devadasis of ancient times were stamped out; yet, since then many have chosen and still continue to choose classical dance and music as their careers in life.

For them there is a sense of fulfillment in being immersed in India's spiritual heritage. Sri Lanka's battered soul needs patient comforting; classical dance and music performances can provide a compassionate, healing touch.

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