Rashmi Rekha Das, OP
Odissi dancer Nityananda Das, who lost a leg in an accident 17 years ago, staged a comeback through sheer will power and has been winning plaudits
What happens when the thing you want most, is what you can’t have? Most of us would be heartbroken or depressed. But not Odissi dancer Nityananda Das. He did not let a road mishap come in the way of achieving his dream. It was his sheer determination and ability to survive hardships and celebrate life that enabled him to dance again, even if he has only one foot left to stand on.
Seventeen years ago, Nityananda was badly injured in an accident and his right leg had to be amputated. But he refused to give up his passion, dance. Sunday POST recounts Nityananda’s story; how he overcame rejection after the accident and how his Guru Bimbadhar Das helped him realise his undying passion for Odissi dance.
Childhood
As a child, Nityananda was keenly interested in dance and acting. He loved to dress up as Lord Krishna and perform at school functions. At the age of 11, he joined Parbati Gananatya, a jatra (opera) group, to hone his dancing and acting skills. He also acted in plays. It was then that he met with Odissi exponent Guru Bimbadhar Das, who used to visit the theatre organisation to take dance classes. Subsequently, Nityananda, who hails from Bideipur in Bhadrak district, moved to Bhubaneswar to learn classical dance under the tutelage of Guru Bimbadhar Das.
“I was 16 when I left for Bhubaneswar to try to make a mark in the field of Odissi and joined the Odissi Dance Academy. Guru Bimbadhar introduced me to Guru Gangadhar Pradhan and under the guidance of both these Gurus, I established myself as a dancer-cum-choreographer by 2000.
Tragedy strikes
Everything was going smoothly in his life, when a serious road accident in 2000 turned Nityananda’s life upside down. After the incident, his leg had to be amputated. The talented dancer and successful choreographer was heartbroken. But, he refused to give up and his passion for dance gave him a new-found confidence.
Recounting the harrowing experience, Nityananda says, “I was on my way home from Bhubaneswar on June 11, 2000 when I met with an accident. A truck hit me from the rear near Barikpur on National Highway No 5, and I was rushed to SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack. My right leg was amputated due to infection. You would be surprised to know that exactly one year prior to the mishap, I had bought the bike. And on the same day the following year, the accident took place. Following the accident when I returned to Bhubaneswar, I developed a feeling that I was being ignored, avoided by my friends and relatives. That was when I started attending each and every dance programme to feel good. But, I found myself unable to do even a single dance move because of my handicap.”
He continues: “That was not the end of my plight. I stitched an Odissi costume for the one-legged Odissi dancer that was me, and I used to cry every night wearing that costume and ghungroo (anklet). It was then that I made up my mind to dance again. I approached my Guru Bimbadhar but he turned me down thrice, saying that I just cannot dance on one leg.”
Back on stage
“When I approached him for the fourth time, he just couldn’t say no to me. He told me to practise dancing on one leg and then come. I started dancing on one leg and it was not easy at all. I was teased by my roommates. Despite all this, I knew I would dance again. After three months of rigorous practice, I went to my teacher who was taken aback after seeing my performance on one leg. I can say that it was very tough. But I fell back on my experience as a dancer and my guru had convinced me that with hard work and determination, nothing is impossible,” says Nityananda.
“My Guru Bimbadhar asked Guru Naba Mishra to come up with an Odissi script in which I could showcase my dancing prowess. Accordingly, Guru Naba Mishra wrote the script titled ‘Pangum langhayate giri’ which means ‘The lame scales mountains.’ I returned to the stage at Rabindra Mandap on May 29, 2005 and mesmerised the audience with my terpsichorean skills. This is how I got a new lease of life as a dancer, thanks to my Guru’s blessings, my hard work and determination,” he explains.
“The accident took my leg but not the determination to fulfill my dreams. Now I am dancing for a living and I love it. I can say the accident was a blessing in disguise. When I returned to the stage for the first time after the mishap, my guru was a hundred times happier than me. I felt the Almighty’s presence that day. Apart from attributing my success to my parents and Guru, I would like to remember the doctor Benu Gopal Das who amputated my leg. Had he not amputated my leg, I could not have achieved the rare feat of being the world’s ‘first one-legged classical dancer’.”
Nityananda’s dance always leaves the audience spell-bound. His story reminds us of the well-known dancer Sudha Chandran who had also lost a leg in a mishap. Since dance was her very life, she persisted and is able to dance with an artificial leg. The Hindi film Nache Mayuri is based on her life. Nityananda, however, has gone further. He dances with only one leg, without the help of an artificial leg. In a dance programme aired on Zee TV, Sudha Chandran complimented him when he partnered her once, saying he had accomplished with one leg what she had done with a support leg.
“I had choreographed a fusion item of Odissi and Bharatanatyam. At the end of the programme, Sudhaji, in reply to a question, acknowledged my feat as greater than her own as I do not use a prosthetic limb.”
Memories to be cherished
Born to social worker Rama Chandra and Sumitra Das, the Odissi exponent has made a name abroad. He has toured the USA and Malaysia and made India proud. Sharing his experiences abroad, he says “At Houston, I was playing the role of a devotee with the track ‘Priya Sakha.’ At the end of my performance, I saw that a few members of the audience were so overwhelmed by my performance that tears started rolling down their cheeks. I received thunderous applause from the audience who did not let me leave the stage and remove my make up for two hours.”
How do you connect with the Almighty through the dance form? “Not once or twice or thrice, every time I go on stage I feel God’s presence. For instance, we were scheduled to perform the classical track ‘Priya Sakha’ at the Jagannath temple in USA in the presence of litterateur Chandrabhanu Satpathy when I and my dance partner Bijay Das who was portraying the character of God fell sick. Both of us were running a high temperature. I asked Bijay to get ready and put on make-up, but he was literally trembling and expressed his unwillingness to perform. I advised him to put on the Odissi attire and leave everything to God. However, our performance turned out to be a big hit and everyone appreciated it a lot. It was nothing but His miracle.”
Achievements
Nityananda set up a dance institution “Kalashram” in 2003 and now he has over 150 students. He explains the mudras to them and uses hands to explain the footwork. Loath to live on charity, he began accepting professional assignments and is now actively doing choreography to earn a living. Dance, his passion and profession, has pushed the tragedy in his life into the background.
Nityananda organises an annual dance festival ‘Guru Dakhina’ giving opportunities to his disabled brethren to showcase their ability in performing arts, especially dance. Through the programme, his aim is to retain the age-old Guru Shisya (teacher-student) tradition. That apart, he has set up the Laudi Research Centre to revive the traditional folk dance Laudi, which is on the verge of extinction. He also organises the annual Kapila Muni Mahotsav and Laudi Loka Nrutya Samaroha at his birthplace.
Regrets
Nityananda, however, regrets the state government does not show concern for artistes. “It is yet to give me either a job or a quarters so that I can teach Odissi to disabled and poor kids. Though our chief minister has seen my performance on World Disabled Day, he did not pay heed to the problems I am confronting as an Odissi dancer. People like me get little encouragement despite our achievements.”
Message
Nityananda adds, “I would like to request the youth to give respect to the classical dance form as it is the mother of modern dances. If you disrespect Odissi, it is like disrespecting your parents. Besides, I would like to urge parents that they should not treat disabled kids as inferior to others. They should look after them with utmost care and treat them as blessings of God. I am willing to extend a helping hand to anyone who wants to beat disability.”
Feathers in his cap
Cavinkare Ability award, Ability Foundation, Chennai
Super Idol Award, CNN IBN
NALCO Award
Rotary Award
OMC Award
Sadhana Award
Netaji Award
Red Cross Award
Best Choreographer award at Jatra Mahotsav
