HIMANSHU GURU, OP
Talented dancer Nageshwari, who has performed on many stages at home and abroad, wants to make Odissi more popular in the state…
Meet G. Nageshwari, a young girl from Bhubaneswar, who has showcased her talent in Odissi dance not only in the country, but also in countries such as Japan and Malaysia.
Trained under Guru Sri Gajendra Kumar Panda, Nageshwari belongs to the Odissi dance gharana of the late Guru Debaprasad Das. Born to Annapurna and Janardhan Rao, the youngster is ‘Alankara Poorna’ in Odissi dance. After finishing high school, she did her Plus 2 from Kamala Nehru Women’s College. She completed her graduation in commerce from the Rama Devi Women’s University and has a postgraduate degree in Odissi dance from the All India Gandharva University, Pune which has a study centre in Orissa.
Nageshwari started dancing when she was in Class III. Her elder sister Jyotirekha taught her the steps for a folk number ‘Chaka Janha Kede Jhilimili,’ which she performed at a school competition, winning a prize. Then she performed at a show in Balasore after which there was no looking back.
“I am well-versed in ‘Lakhyasindura,’ ‘Guru Brahma,’ ‘Ganga Taranga’ of ‘Mangalacharana,’ ‘Chhotasthayi’ and ‘Badasthayi’ of ‘Sthayi,’ ‘Kalabati,’ ‘Basanta’ and ‘Khirabani’ of ‘Pallavi,’ ‘Jagabatara,’ ‘Astasambhu,’ ‘Shibastakam,’ ‘Kede Chhatra’ and ‘Mana Uddharana’ of ‘Abhinaya’.” Mangalacharana, Sthayi, Pallavi, Abhinaya and Mokhya are the main phases of a complete Odishi recital,” Nageshwari explains. She is inspired by the carvings of dancing women on the walls of ancient temples in Orissa that have attracted visitors from inside and outside. The young dancer says, “We see female dancers in the ‘mardala,’ ‘parswamardala,’ ‘alasa,’ ‘aaina’ and ‘abhimani’ poses in these carvings. There is a lot to learn from the poses of these dancers.”
Nageshwari’s style of dance is called ‘Tridhara.’ “Since the style comprises Odissi, Sambalpuri folk and tribal dance, it is called ‘Tridhara’,” she points out.
What makes Odissi different from other classical dance styles? Nageshwari says, “You can find ‘tahia,’ a decorative headgear, only in Odissi. No other dance has this. One can see ‘tahia’ worn by Lord Jagannath on His head during the car festival.”
The young dancer has been lucky enough to perform at a number of high-profile events such as the Khajuraho Dance Festival, Konark Dance Festival, Mukteswar Dance Festival, Puri Beach Festival, Baliyatra and the Indian dance festival in Chennai. She has performed before dignitaries such as the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Gajapati Maharaja Sri Divyasingh Dev. She also received the Balashree Scholarship from the government of India.
Nageshwari remembers a memorable episode from her trip to Japan. “In Tokyo, our group was ready to perform in an open air auditorium when it started raining. We were planning to cancel the show and that is when we saw that the audience was patiently waiting for us, even though they were drenched. Without further delay, we started our programme even though it was raining. It is the memory of a lifetime for me.”
Recounting another interesting incident, she says: “I was performing in Malaysia when I found that my ‘Bengapatia’ (the elaborate belt worn on the waist) was unhooked. For a few seconds, I came off the stage, pinned it up and started my performance again. In this item, I was not just a group dancer, but was playing an important character and so could not be absent. Moved by my prompt action, a woman presented me a garland of flowers. I don’t know the name of the flower but I was told that it was the costliest flower of their country and costs Rs. 2000 in Indian currency.”
Nageshwari is inspired by the legendary Odissi dancer Sanjukta Panigrahi. Interestingly, Nageshwari has been a national level Kho-kho player. She represented her school at the national level when she was in Class VIII. “I would also like to be a social worker,” she added.
“While we get much appreciation overseas for our dance, people in the state show little interest in watching Odissi performances. I was dancing at the Adivasimela when I saw that the audience was slowly leaving the gallery. It really hurts,” the dancer says. In the years ahead, Nageshwari aims to promote Odissi as best as she can.
