With the Tulsi plant in the courtyard and subtle lights, Cuttack Saheed Bhawan metamorphosed into a picturesque Gobindapur, the background village of the classic novel Six acre and a third (Chha Man Atha Gunth). The characters from the novel of Fakir Mohan Senapati, came alive through the visually pleasing Odissi dance, presented by renowned danseuse Sharon Lowen and Kavita Dwivedi partnering with veteran actor Tom Alter and Odissi singer Sangita Gosain as the narrators.
It was a kind of deconstruction of a novel and restructuring it into dance, music and dramatics. ‘’The idea behind choreographing this classic novel into a dance drama came to us as this novel, a genre in itself, speaks about many social issues. We wanted to take this novel to various platforms where a common man can connect with it,’’ said Sharon.
The show was one of a kind with a three dimensional stage presentation of dance, music and narration. Odissi as a classical dance form depends a lot on the scriptures and mythologies but deviating from the traditional theme and venturing into the realm of a modern novel which deals with the contemporary social reality, the dance drama portrayed a set of characters involving a set of complex human sentiments which can connect to a common man’s pathos. The play presented a magnificent detailing of the central characters of Saria and Bhagia, as well as the animated presentation of the character Neta, the cow and Champa, the negative female character of the play.
The background music was equally lilting and a treat to the ears. With the potent and witty narration of Tom Alter in English and Sangita Gosain in Odia, the audience blended with the flow of the play.
‘’Being an Odia, I have grown up reading Fakir Mohan Senapati. I feel honoured to present one of his immortal creations through our dance drama. It is a very relevant play, which brings out a set of prejudiced social issues and a raw set of sentiments into the limelight bearing a strong social message,’’ said Kavita.
The production was a venture co-produced by Fakir Mohan Foundation and State Tourism department. Inaugurated by former chief justice of India G B Patnaik, writer Prativa Ray and actor-politician Prasanta Nanda, the initiative was taken up by Monika Das, the granddaughter of Fakir Mohan Senapati.