PURI: Colourful and immersive is how people define Puri’s Sahi Jata (or Sahi Jatra), an endangered form of open air narrative theatre that centres around Ramayana. But for Bhanu Prasad Mohapatra, it is not just a portrayal of an 800-year-old cultural tradition but an emotion. While the responsibility of carrying forward the tradition of Sahi Jata is primarily shouldered by young men of Puri, 29-year-old Bhanu is among the few who walk the extra mile for enriching this intangible heritage by adding new elements to it.
Every year, during the month of Chaitra (beginning Ram Navami), youths of eight Sahis (ancient streets) get together and engage in dramatic retelling of episodes of Ramayana, from birth of Lord Ram to the killing of demon king Ravana. A software engineer by profession at Bengaluru, Bhanu shifts to work-from-home for a month before Ram Navami and comes back to his hometown Puri to take part in Sahi Jata. But his involvement is not only limited to just essaying a mythological character. Every year, he brings a new element to Sahi Jata by telling an untold or a lesser known story of Ramayana.
This year, Bhanu portrayed Ekadasha-Mukhi Hanuman or the 11-faced Hanuman (Mahavira). “This episode/character is not widely told, there is not much documented evidence. In fact, I found reference of Ekadasha-Mukhi Hanuman in a Sanskrit sloka which helped me learn more about this particular avatar of Him. On the day of Chaitra Purnima, Hanuman had taken the form of Ekadasha Hanuman following the orders of Shri Ram to kill Mahiravana (son of demon king Ravana)’s son Kalkarmukha, an 11-faced demon,” he explained.
Donning a 30-kg ‘medha’ with 11 different faces of Hanuman and carrying two ‘mudgars’, he portrayed the episode during the Sita Chori Niti of Sahi Jata on April 11. It began at Kundhei Benta Sahi and concluded at Dolamandap Sahi, with locals of both the Sahis and tourists bursting into applause at each of his expressive acts and nuanced dance moves. “My act also involved telling people the significance and direction of each face of Ekadasha-Mukhi Hanuman,” he said.
Apart from contributing to the Sahi Jata tradition, Bhanu has been aiming at reviving the acting aspect of it which he claims is slowly dying. Traditionally, dance practice for Sahi Jata begins in the eight Sahis two months before the festival. Unlike Ram Leela, which depends heavily on just acting and narration, Sahi Jata is based on acting, narration and also, dance and martial arts. “The acting component of Sahi Jata is slowly dying because to know how to portray a mythological character, one needs to do extensive research which requires a lot of time. On my part, I am aiming at reviving the acting component of the festival,” he said.
While he devotes at least a year to research for new mythological characters of the epic, Bhanu begins working on the character a month before the festival due to time constraint owing to his work schedule. He also designs the costumes and writes the Sanskrit and Odia dialogues for the character himself. “Also, as participating in Sahi Jata requires a great deal of energy, I do not compromise on my exercise routine throughout the year,” said Bhanu, who is also an athlete.
An ardent follower of Jagannath Culture, Bhanu has been participating in Sahi Jata for the last four years. Growing up in Puri, he has been witnessing the festival from an early age. He also documents every aspect of Sahi Jata and Jagannath Culture and promotes them on social media for the world to see.
The Tradition of Sahi Jata
The tradition of Sahi Jata, historians said, began with Jaga Akhadas of Puri. Eight Sahis - Kalika Devi Sahi, Harachandi Sahi, Matimandapa Sahi, Markandeswar Sahi, Kundhei Benta Sahi, Dolamandap Sahi, Bali Sahi, Goudabada Sahi - celebrate it every year. The fortnight-long festival begins on Ram Navami during the month of Chaitra and ‘akhadas’ of the eight Sahis select youths to essay the characters of Ramayana. Each sahi is assigned a different episode to play like birth of Lord Rama, Ravana capturing Devi Sita, battle between Parasuram and Lord Rama, war between Lord Rama and Ravana, Ravana’s death and so on.