Paying tribute to Odissi music through dance is not an easy task. So when Odissi dance exponent Sharmila Biswas staged the ‘Raga Madhuri’ at the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival, it was undoubtedly a visual treat for the audience.
The dance connoisseurs of Bhubaneswar had a chance to witness a soothing performance, which was Biswas’ way of ‘giving back’ something to Odisha. Before taking the stage, the dancer admitted that performing at a festival named after her guru was indeed a privilege.
And throughout her performance, Biswas left the audience spellbound. The performance—a mix of adoration, invocation and dedication to the revered guru—was based on Bhramaris or the circular movements, which the guru had codified to train the shishyas (disciples). Choreographed by Biswas, the offering explored the fundamentals of Odissi music, and she chose just six swaramalikas from the first six melas.
“All the ragas in Odissi music belong to one of the 10 melas or groups. In the dance piece Raga Madhuri, one swaramalika from each mela has been developed in music and interpreted in dance form. For this show, six swaramalikas from the first six melas were presented,” Biswas explains.
Composed by Bijay Jena, the swaramalikas contained all the characteristic gamaks which identify Odissi music style. In Raga Madhuri, each swaramalika started with a sloka (composed by Srijan Chatterjee) describing the distinct notes of the particular raga.
Biswas also agrees that these days her compositions are not just meant to provide entertainment to the audience, and are a little long. “I want to create works of dance, which would be informative and fuel further growth. This work is an effort to bring dance and dancers closer to the roots of Odissi music, which is a distinct, independent and self-contained form,” she says.
The dancer also believes that despite being a new concept, Raga Madhuri perfectly fits into the traditional repertoire or the marga of Odissi dance. “In Odissi, we begin with invocation, and then comes the exploration of abstract music and dance. The third stage is narratives and sahitya, and they end with moksha (a kind of crescendo). Raga Madhuri can be categorised into the second section of the repertoire,” adds the danseuse.
Biswas demonstrated this aptly on the stage with an equal balance of expressions, footwork and layakari.
Interestingly, she performed at the Rabindra Mandap on the evening of Teachers’ Day, and as the programme went ahead, one could sense that it was Biswas’ way of showing gratitude to the guru.
“Guruji had special bonding with each student. There was always room even for the weakest. He taught me dance, and how to live the life of a dancer—consciously and unconsciously.”
Biswas has maintained the legacy through her institution Odissi Vision and Move Centre, which promotes Indian dance and music in Kolkata. “It is the happiness of learning that makes dance exciting for me. Otherwise, I would cease to be a dancer,” she says.
For someone who was instinctively smitten by the beauty and grace of Odissi dance at the age of 14, her parents were the guiding force. Despite being at the peak of career, she devotes six hours a day to practice.
Biswas also makes it clear that for her, it is really important to perform each of the new compositions in Odisha. “This is where Odissi dance took shape. I get to share the works with people who are critical. Some of them appreciate and admire the compositions. Those views are important for me,” Biswas, who received the Akademi Award in 2012 for her contribution to Odissi dance, says.