Bhubaneswar: Veteran Odissi dancer Poushali Mukherjee was awarded Lifetime achievement award Saturday here for her pioneering contribution to Odissi by Samskritiki at the Odissi International festsival. A disciple of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and Guru Muralidhar Majhi, Poushali had also received special training in Abhinaya, a part of Odissi dance from Guru Kalanidhi Narayan. After graduating in Classical dance from Rabindra Bharati University she came to Orissa and took lessons from Guru Kelucharan, following which she created a niche for herself in the Odissi world. She now teaches Odissi to the young generation at her dance academy. She has performed not only in the country but in other countries as well, including UK, Russia, Australia, Bhutan etc. For the last three decades she is dedicatedly working towards maintaining the style of her Guru Kelucharan.
In an interaction with Orissa POST, Poushali spoke about Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and her journey so far in Odissi. Excerpts:
Receiving the Lifetime achievement award in Odisha for the Odissi, how you will describe that?
Getting recognition in the eyes of my Guru is the biggest thing for me, it is the best of all the recognitions and awards I have received. This place also very special for me as this is where I received all the lessons in Odissi from my Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.
What has motivated you to continue Odissi for the last thirty years?
From childhood I was passionate about music. Initially I played table and Mardal in the house and continued with it for the first ten years of my life. Once during one of the shows in Kolkata I watched Sanjukta Panigrahi performing with Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, which got me interested in Odissi. After that I pursued Odissi in Rabindra Bharati University under Guru Muralidhar Majhi and began my journey as an Odissi dancer. The beauty of this dance is the depth of visual artistry and images based on bhakti.
Your memories of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra?
He was the epitome of a great master. I was mesmerized by his charisma and stature when I first met him. I soon became one of his favourite disciples due to my understanding of music. He always focused on synchronization of music and dance and taught us to the same. He always advised us not to rush and asked us to be humble. The long compositions he used to create are unmatchable. I also remember the tours with Guru in Kolkata and other places where he used to conduct workshop.
How the things have changed in present times?
As I said, today people do not have time to appreciate lengthy compositions. Besides, Odissi, or any other performing art, requires passionate dedication to master it. This is something that can not be learnt through technology as the art form deals with emotions.
How you see your life as an Odissi dancer?
I teach Odissi to the young generation in my academy. At the same time I would also like to do more compositions and also find some time to devote to my earlier passions, the table. Currently, however, I and focusing on maintain the tradition of my Guru through my disciples like Pompi Paul, Sharmila Mukherjee, who are doing great.
