KOCHI: For a Malayali, Odissi was an alien art form that seldom made its presence felt in the lazy afternoon hours in Doordarsan, until a few years ago. Today, with art festivals flocking the cultural scene in Kerala, even children, who have a penchant for dance, can easily distinguish Odissi from a Manipuri or Kuchipudi. However, very few Malayali dancers dared to learn this dance form, which still remained foreign, with not many connoisseurs in the state. Uthara Antherjanam is one among them. She is probably the only Malayali dancer who have learnt the first steps of Odissi from the land of the dance form Bhubaneswar, Orissa. Uthara, who was introduced to the world of dance from the age of four, was easily swept away by the grace and strength of Odissi.
“I was interested in Odissi from a very young age. I used to watch Odissi performances that came on TV with intrigue. The dancers looked right out of temple sculptures as they followed the rules of ‘Thribhangi’ - which showcases the curves of body. Thribhangi is what makes Odissi exceptional. Odissi performances flow from one moment to another. I was lured away by this concept,” says Uthara.
Uthara, who has been learning both Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam in their own dance institute ‘Lalithodayam’ from her own mother, chanced upon Odissi when she was in her 10th std.
“An Odissi exponent from Delhi, Trinath Maharana, conducted a one month workshop here. I was one among the 24 students who attended the course. But because the course was quite taxing only three students remained by the end of the month. We have even given an Odissi stage performance after the course,” says Uthara, who has an engineering as well as Bharatanatyam degree. After completing her engineering Uthara did get into a white-collar job that suited her qualifications.
“But soon I realised dance is my calling. I quit my job after three months and started searching for good Odissi trainers across the country. While I took a sabbatical from my job I travelled extensively and learnt bits and pieces from many teachers. At first, my mind was set on Delhi or Bangalore. Later, it occurred to me that if I have to learn authentic Odissi, I should learn it from Orissa,” says Uthara.
Uthara not only took off to Orissa to imbibe Odissi but also made sure that she learnt it from the descendants of the legend Kelucharan Mohapatra. She joined a six-month-long course at Sri Sri University, Bhubaneswar and learned the first steps of Odissi under the tutelage of Sujatha Mohapatra, the daughter-in-law of Kelucharan Mohapatra.
“Since then I have been going back and forth to Orissa to learn from my Guru. Recently on the day of Maha Navami, we have started a class at ‘Lalithodayam’ for Odissi,” says Uthara.
Uthara has another great legacy to carry forward. She is the great granddaughter of late author Lalithambika Antharjanam.
“Lalithambika Antharjanam is my father’s great grandmother. It was her wish to name an educational institution ‘Lalithodayam’ but that did not happen. So when my mother started her dance institution at Sreevaraham she gave it that name. Currently there are around 200 students studying in the institute,” says Uthara. Even though, there are other institutions that teach Odissi in the city, Uthara says theirs is the only place where you have a permanent faculty, who has firsthand knowledge of the artform gained from Odissi exponents.
A staunch follower of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, she teaches dance yoga at their ‘Art of living’ foundation.
“Like Odissi, dance yoga also does not have many practitioners in Kerala. I am one of the few who teaches this exceptional art form,” she says. Uthara is currently doing her MA in Bharatanatyam.