Other States - Orissa   

Rare dance form facing threat of extinction

BHUBANESWAR: While the martial dance form of Chhau of Mayurbhanj got global recognition like the Chhau dances of of Sareikalla and Purulia, lack of patronage has marginalised the once-vibrant-and-popular Chhau dance of the erstwhile princely states of Nilgiri, Keonjhar, Bonei and Dhenkanal.

Devised to keep soldiers fit through mock fighting through this dance form, this arts form flourished for royal patronage but dwindled following the merger of the princely states with Orissa.

It was king Shyam Chandra Mardaraj Harichandan, younger brother of the well-known Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo of Mayurbhanj, who introduced Chhau to Nilgiri state way back in 1900 after he was adopted by the royal dynasty. The dance witnessed significant growth in style and popularity during the tenure of his son Kishore Chandra Mardaraj Harichandan.

“People from far and wide thronged the Nilgiri palace to witness the pulsating performances of the Chhau dancers during his rule,” recollected Jayant Mardaraj Harichandan, grandson of the king and the former co-convener of INTACH’s Orisa chapter who has been relentlessly campaigning for the form’s survival and revival.

Although the Chhau dance of Nilgiri owed its origin to the Mayurbhanj style of Chhau, its exponents had produced some of the distinct compositions like Gandharba Apsara, Shankar Pratap, Kalachakra, Krishna Radha, Urbashi , Indrajeet and Nabagraha, it was learnt.

Following the death of its best known patron Kishore Chandra 47 years ago, Nilgiri Chhau has been relegated due to lack of required state support. “While most of the exponents have passed away, those who were trained by them and alive were forced to switch to other avocations for survival,” observed Mr. Jayant Mardaraj who took up the matter with the then culture minister two years ago but to no avail.

Similar has been the fate of the Chhau dance legacy of all other princely states of Orissa and there is a growing demand among people of respective regions to get the required patronage from the State government.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Lifer for killing official’s son
BSNL official held on graft charge
Rare dance form facing threat of extinction
Serving with a smile
Terracotta fair begins today
Students’ creative skills to the fore
It’s time to weed out ‘parthenium’
New DCC chief
Double murder: police disclosure hurts family
Dependable sleuths these
Lower rank-holders grab the chance
CPI against move to lease out iron ore mines
Epidemic: situation ‘improving’
Wind energy unit on drawing board

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu