Disregarding disability
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Loss of a limb notwithstanding, Nityananda Das gave a stunning display of his courage through an excellent Odissi performance.
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SHEER GRIT Nityananda Das's feat is a source of inspiration for all.
In a wonderful exhibition of grit and determination, Nityananda Das performed Odissi dance on stage at Rabindra Mandap stunning one and all. Because he has only one leg. Nityananda who was a Odissi dancer had lost one leg in a road accident on June 11, 2000. But, after a temporary setback, Nityananda took inspiration from the familiar story of Sudha Chandran who successfully came back to stage after losing one leg. So, he set up `Kalashram' where he began teaching dance to young students. At the same time, he practised dancing with one leg under his guru Bimbadhar Das who egged him on.
Nityananda's saga of courage was showcased in Nrutya parva where he opened the cultural programme with Pangu langhayate giri/mukam karoti bachalam choreographed by Guru Naba Mishra and Guru Aruna Mohanty. His efforts met with thunderous applause as Nityananda tried perfect coping with the tala system and danced with great balance. His pure dance pieces to Odissi bol were a delight to watch. However, for obvious reasons, he fell back on mudras and abhinaya, which he did with remarkable fluency.
Dance ballets
Nityananda's stunning performance was followed by a dance ballet titled My Garden by Guru P.V.S. Ramarao from Chennai and cine artiste Ashrumochan Mohanty. Gotipua Bandha nritya with its acrobatics was a visual treat and it was followed by laudi dance with Nityananda again taking the stage with Dillip Das who is also handicapped. The evening concluded with a dance ballet by the Kalashram group.
Though the programme stood out because of Nityananda and there was a big crowd to witness his dedicated effort, the inordinate delay in beginning the programme and the harping on the term `invalid' by many a speaker at the meetings were obvious dampeners. What Nityananda needs is encouragement, not pity, and the sooner his well-wishers realise it the better.
BIBHUTI MISHRA
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Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
