Kalinga Mahotsav thrills
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The third Kalinga Mahotsav, dedicated to martial dance forms, was a visual treat.
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The martial dances were breath-taking affairs.
THE THIRD Kalinga Mahotsav, a festival exclusively dedicated to martial dances, was on for two days at the footsteps of the Dhauli stupa, the Japanese Buddhist temple situated on Dhauli Hill on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. This is the place where Emperor Ashoka was believed to have fought the last battle of the great Kalinga war before surrendering the sword and embracing Buddhism.
In keeping with the intentions of the organisers to present one contemporary interpretation of a particular dance tradition every year, along with traditional troupes of martial artistes, the opening item was `Agni', a creative choreography based on the Manipuri martial dance `Thang Ta'. Presented by the Kolkata-based Anjika group and directed by dancer-choreographer Priti Patel, this exciting piece set the tone for the evening.
Shree Samartha Vyayam Mandir from Mumbai took the excitement to dizzying heights by presenting various demonstrations of `mallakhamb' and `yogasanas'. The `pole mallakhamb' and `rope mallakhamb', with its acrobatics, were breathtaking affairs. The other items, like `flame mallakhamb' and `jaladeepasan' displayed a crispness and element of balance that made them a treat to watch. The concluding item of the first evening was `banabadi', a martial dance that traces its origin to the Yadavas in the Dwapara age.
The second evening, however, was a let down. The `mardani khel' was a disappointing affair as was the concluding item `silambattam' from Tamil Nadu. Only the `purulia chhou' dance from West Bengal, dealing with mythology, had some impact.
Theatre fests galore
"Mahatma" was a realistic political satire.
EVEN AS the winter bids adieu, it's been raining theatre fests. First it was `Pancham Veda', a premier theatre outfit in Bhubaneswar, that hosted a week-long theatre festival which showcased the state of drama in Orissa today. The fest had teams from different places like Pattamundai, Karanjia, Jagatsinghpur, Rourkela and Berhampur. While the opening play `Sindura Phatibara Bela' drew an unpleasant picture of the modern man as a victim of greed, `Naeera Thikana' by Pallabi and Karanjia dealt with human relationships prone to misunderstanding and suspicion.
Kalaparishada's `Bholanath Das Haja Hai' gave a sense of deja vu as it harped on the rehashed theme of idealism having no takers today. But `Partha', presented by Rangamancha from Rourkela, threw up a modern situation with mythical parallels. Like the Mahabharata character of Partha, as Arjuna was known, the story of an honest cop caught in a web of self-doubt was an interesting contemporary situation.
The play had an interesting twist in the end that directly relates it to reality. The concluding play `Mora Kichhi Kahibara Achhi', was directed by Haren Sahu, secretary of the `Pancham Veda'. The play's storyline evoked reflected the modern times, bloodied by communal violence and terrorism, where human relationships have become casualties.
Veterans feted
Five eminent personalities from the fields of music, dance and theatre - Sachi Das, Ratiranjan Mishra, Guru Gopikrushna Behera, Dibakar Mohanty and Binodini Debi - were felicitated for their life-long contribution. Close on the heels of this festival came the four-day drama festival hosted by `Manana Natya Sanstha' as part of its 26th Foundation Day celebrations. The festival opened with Manana's own production `Rajagoja', a political satire directed by Manoj Patnaik. The second evening had Uttar Purusha's play `Moha' that draws a striking contrast between physical blindness and the blindness to values and ethics that is born of lack of humanity. `Samabesha' from Cuttack presented `Mahatma', yet another political satire making a painful yet realistic assessment of the relevance of the values that Mahatma Gandhi stood for.
The festival concluded with `Sandhyachhaya', a play staged by AJIT, Bhubaneswar. It focussed on the twilight years of the elderly and the resulting loneliness when parents become increasingly irrelevant for the children.
Women's special
While these two festivals kept Bhubaneswar's cultural circuit hot and happening `Natya Chetana' organised its 10th People's Theatre festival at Natya Gram, Khurda, a good 30 kilometres away from Bhubaneswar. Close to Barunei hills and midst sylvan settings, the Natyagram hosted the six-day festival as a "women's special".
Apart from solo performances by groups from Hong Kong and puppet plays by artistes from Finland, there were five plays by women directors from different parts of the state. They were `Rebati', directed by Sujata, `Anya Rebati' by Susmita from Balasore, `Sunyata' by Kanaklata and Priyadarshini from Rourkela, `Nartaki Nuhen' by Leena from Nawrangpur and Sambalpuri play `Andhar Pakhara Jue' by Aparajita. Noted dancer Ilena Citaristi presented a solo Chhau performance on the penultimate evening.
BIBHUTI MISHRA
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