Odisha, A Promontory Of Culture, The Wonder That Is Odisha, Rocked At ‘The Wonder That Is India’

By D N Singh

Odisha being a less vibrant state politically, people here are more known for their cultural leaning. From the interiors of temples and cultural hubs, many cultural recipes have the inherent artistic qualities which took years to claim the spaces on the horizon of art.

Amid the blaze of television and apps culture, the onstage representations of many arts have suffered in the back-seat.

But, it becomes magical and enthralling when such renderings are on the famous platforms forcing the audience get glued to the seats.

Not to go far away, very recently the initiative by the Indian Revival Group, doggedly on the pursuit to keep many art forms alive had its dividend on a stage in the national capital of India.

In this creation ‘ The Wonder That Is India’ few art and dance forms of Odisha almost enjoyed the center-stage.

It was an attempt at bringing out the distinctive features of Indian culture together could be made possible.

For almost all, it was magical to watch a cross-cultural fusion led Papiha Desai and her group.

‘Chhau’ & ‘Odissi’

However, the stunner came on the stage when a group of five men from Odisha performed Mayurbhanj ‘chhau’ a martial dance art form, which is a combo of martial movements in split seconds precision rhyming with the heavy percussion.

It was a special moment packed with the thrill and manly choreography that was simply rocking.

In between after a brief showcasing of a Rajasthani folk form, all in tribal attires, presenting Kalabeliya, there came the gracious and slow dance Odissi.

In fact, it was Desai herself who led from the front to perform Odissi, a dance form which has travelled hundreds of years from the temples of Odisha to the global stage.

“The Wonder That is India” which ran for nearly an hour and stunned the audience present at Sangeet Kala Akademi’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival.

But, Odissi of course got an extra attention for its lyrical grandeur and movements to the beats, right from the eyes to feet.

Wonderful precisions and grace which left the audience awe-struck almost.

Amid the title ‘The Wonder That Is India’, among all forms such as Kathak and Kathakali, Odissi made all feel that, The Wonder That Is Odisha, as if.