Mahari dance was discontinued in Jagannath temple long ago. So how could it be revived?
Odissi Guru Pankaj Charan Das revived it. He hailed from Puri and belonged to a Mahari family. He reconstructed it with the help of the few Devdasis who were alive during his days and had impressed upon Guru Pankaj Charan to do something to revive Mahari dance when the Guru was busy in revival of Odissi dance along with his disciple Guru Kelucharan and others.
How was your beginning?
I was a disciple of Guru Pankaj Charan and learning Odissi. When I was about 10 years old, a documentary film was being made on Harapriya Devdasi and I was featured in it as an adolescent Mahari dancer as per the advice of my Guru. Late Harapriya taught me how to dress up as a Devdasi and dance for the film. Thereafter, my Guru decided to launch the annual Mahari Award (considered as the most prestigious award for outstanding Odissi dancers today) and I was conferred the fist award when I performed Mahari dance in Bhubaneswar under his training and guidance. It was the first occasion that the dancers’ community and connoisseurs came across Mahari dance outside Puri. After my Guru passed away, I have been performing, choreographing and teaching Mahari dance as per his desire. I had also the fortune of learning from the three Devdasis of the temple besides my Guru.
How did you decide the costume, the jewellery and the music in this re-constructed Mahari dance?
True, the dance that we stage these days is not the exact reproduction of the dance that the Devdasis were performing in temple rituals. They were dancing alone and I have already formed group choreographies although I also do solo numbers. I am constantly adding to its vocabulary. My close association with the temple and the maharis has helped me a lot. My father is a temple priest and I go to the temple every morning. I observe all the rituals associated with the temple. I have also interacted with the maharis for years to know from them details about their lifestyle, knowledge of dance and music. In fact, I have a good collection of the jewellery they used to use. My mission has been portrayal of various rituals associated with the Jagannath temple through the language of dance apart from propagation of the Mahari style.
What kind of support do you get from the Jagannath temple administration or the state government for your mission?
It pains me to state that I get better response and support from outside my state. West Bengal Government has invited me twice to hold workshops in Kolkata besides presenting my art form in their prestigious Uday Shankar dance festival. I have also been able to present my works in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and the North East. I was even invited to perform Mahari dance in Washington in the 2nd International Odissi festival. But in our own state, Mahari dance has hardly got any berth in dance festivals. Of course I don’t blame anyone. It takes time to appreciate one’s work and I am happy that the Government finally hosted our show in Bhubaneswar.
How popular is this dance form today? Do you have enough takers among the aspiring dancers?
I have 35 disciples in Puri alone of whom 15 are performing with me on stage. I also teach at Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Interestingly, I have 29 disciples from Italy and one from England who come to Puri regularly to stay at an ashram established by an Italian. They tell me that this is the dance of the Devdasis and thus a sacred experience for them.
shyamharichakra@gmail.com