BHUBANESWAR: A devoted teacher of music, eminent scholar and a versatile artiste are descriptions insufficient to quantify the contributions of Pandit Dr Damodar Hota to the field of music in Odisha. He has always endeavoured to promote Odissi music and culture in his career spanning over six decades, and groomed the finest classical singers in the State.
With his intricate singing style (Gayaki) and the research he has done on ‘Udra Paddhatiya Sangita’, which belongs to Puri and has evolved as part of the Jagannath temple tradition, Damodar, has been successful in establishing it as one of the most ancient forms of Odissi music. He asserts that besides the Hindustani and Carnatic, Odissi or ‘Udra Paddhatiya’ is an aboriginal style of Indian Classical music. “I have committed my life to substantiating that Udra or Odissi Music has its own distinct lineage,” he says.
Damodar’s father was a traditional Odissi vocalist and ‘Mardala’ player of the then prevalent ‘Akhadas’ in Puri. His mother was an acclaimed singer of Chhanda, Chautisha and Purana. Born into a poor family and losing his father at a tender age, Damodar had a struggling childhood when he was adopted by his school’s headmaster for his primary education and later supported by the local ‘Zamindar’ to pursue higher education in music. After his Master’s in Odiya language from Utkal University, Damodar travelled to Banaras and completed a Master’s in Music from Banaras Hindu University. He received a PhD for his thesis titled ‘Odishi Sangita Ka Parichaya’. Chief Disciple of the legendary Pandit Omkarnath Bhatt, of ‘Gwalior Gharana’, it was upon his insistence that Damodar returned to Odisha and institutionalised music that originated from the living traditions of Odia people, tallying them with the ‘Shastras’ and the cult of Lord Jagannath.
After completing a long stint with the Odisha Sangita Mahavidyalaya, from where he retired as Principal, he began to coach youngsters. He is often addressed as the ‘Banyan Tree’ that has upheld the heritage of Odissi and Hindustani classical music for decades.