International Odissi Festival 2003: Seminar - Sujata Mohapatra on Odissi Geeta
Duration: 00:19:04; Aspect Ratio: 1.778:1; Hue: 10.331; Saturation: 0.034; Lightness: 0.230; Volume: 0.147; Cuts per Minute: 2.359; Words per Minute: 36.282
Summary: The 2nd International Odissi Festival was organised by IPAP between August 28 - 31, 2003, in Washington D.C. Dedicated to the memory of Guru Pankaj Charan Das, who passed away in June 2003, it brought together Odissi dancers and scholars from all over the world.
A leading Odissi soloist, Sujata Mohapatra is a disciple and daughter-in-law of the legendary Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Intensively trained and groomed by her guru for more than eighteen years, she is the bearer of his priceless cultural heritage. Sujata has also undergone training at the Odissi Research Center in Bhubaneshwar and is currently guided and supported by her husband Ratikant Mohapatra. In addition to her training in Odissi, Sujata holds a Master's Degree in Oriya literature from Utkal University and has extensively researched temple architecture relating to the dance form.
In the delineation of Odissi geeta, Mohapatra says, sahitya is the main ingredient, the flavour produced is rasa; the treatment and the transformation is made by giving everything to the dance.
Banamali Das
Krishna
Radha
Washington, DC
champu
chhanda
colloquial
geeta
milk
oriya abhinaya
physical
poetic idiom
rasa
sanchari
sanchari bhava
sthayi bhava
Sujata Mohapatra makes a presentation on Odissi geeta. Ramahari Das has already explained the difference between geeta and other poetic forms in Oriya like champu and chhanda.
dialogue
Ramahari Das explains how rules of metre and other technical aspects differentiate the two. The bhava of a champu is very dramatic. They are like dialogues. Kelucharan Mohapatra interjects. Ramahari Das quotes from kha and ga champus to show how colloquial they are. for instance - kharaba tu helu re from the 'kha' champu, or galani ta gala katha from the 'ga' champu; the latter literally means - let bygones be bygones, forget about it.
But in the Odissi structure this doesn't happen; songs exist distinctly as separate entities.
Another gentleman offers his interpretation. Champu is a poetic idiom but not a pattern of song. It is part of Odissi music like everything else - chhanda and so on.
Sujata Mohapatra begins to speak.
"Literature is the backbone of art. We need geeta, tala and vadya to make into dance. So here comes the use of song which is literature. These songs are chosen carefully. We pay special attention to the theme, expressions and emotional situation of the song. We take different songs from popular oriya poets like Banamali, Gopala Krishna, Kavi Samrat Upendra Bhanja and Kavi Surya Baladev Rath."
Here sahitya is the main ingredient, the favlour produced is rasa; the treatment and the transformation is made by giving everything to the dance.
Mohapatra says that she more a performer, and not a thinker or scholar. She chooses to dance to demonstrate the characteristics of Odissi geeta. She will show the sthayi bhava and the sanchari bhava to articulate the choreography of guruji (Kelucharan Mohapatra) and his thoughts.
Song by Banamali in raga Sankarabharanam.
To lagi gopa danda mana re kaliya suna...
Translation:
Because of you, it is forbidden for us to walk to the streets of Gopapura.
For you/ because of you, I am also forbidden to go to the Yamuna river.
niti ehi baate jau re kaliya
hata re koudi maagi re kaliya murali baja...
Everyday, you go thus...and then the situation suddenly moves to the market, where everything is sold.
That link between niti ehi baate and hata re koudi is through the process of thought, that is used to create a storyline. You will see how Guruji transforms two lines of a poem into a very lively narrative with a storyline where sanchari bhava plays the major role.
The sanchari builds a story around a single line. Radha mimics Krishna's actions in the course of a single line - niti ehi baate jau re kaliya.
She explains the verses she will perform
Because of you, the streets of the village are forbidden terrain for me., Radha tells Krishna. For you, this gopa - shown by the action of crossing the threshold and leaving the house, is forbidden. Krishna is described by his colour - kaliya, the dark-skinned one.
Every day, you are found taking the same path - now Radha begins to mimic Krishna. When Krishna goes and sees Radha and calls her - he says - come, give me the milk of your beautiful cow, for I am very hungry. When Radha hesitates or refuses him, he says, "What? You won't give me milk? I am from a rich family. I can pay you in kind, with this jewel (points to a necklace); go and get me milk. Now while Radha is in the process of giving him milk to drink, he drinks in her beauty. But she immediately rebukes him and he moves suddenly, as if Radha has threatened to slap him.
Verse:
To lagi gopa danda mana re kaliya suna...
to lagi na jibi jamuna re kaliya suna
Translation:
Because of you, it is forbidden for us to walk to the streets of Gopapura.
Because of you, I am also forbidden to go to the Yamuna river.
Verse:
niti ehi baate jau re kaliya
hata re koudi maagi re kaliya murali baja...
Krishna then asks her for the curds she has churned, and makes an allegorical reference to the tartness of the curds and her beauty. When Radha responds angrily, he uses her anger as an excuse to say that the curds are sour, and refuses to pay for them.
Kastuar's closing remarks.
Pad.ma requires JavaScript.
