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Bhubaneswar, August 25: Danseuse Rajashree Praharaj presented an Odissi solo adaptation of ‘Sita Haran’ on the concluding day of ‘Tumari Smrutire’ at Rabindra Mandap, Thursday. The two-day event was a tribute to dance exponent Sanjukta Panigrahi on her 72nd birth anniversary.
Rajashree portrayed all the characters involved in the chapter from ‘Ramcharit Manas’ by Tulsidas, including Ram, Laxman, Sita, Ravan, Mareecha and Jatayu. Music for the composition was created by Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi and Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra choreographed it.
The narrative, which begins at Pancha Vatika, was carried forward by the dancer portraying each character by turn. Rajashree smoothly differentiated the characters through bodily and visual expressions. From Ram chasing mareecha disguised as the golden deer, to Ravan’s arrival at their dwelling to take Sita away and the fight between Ravan and king of birds Jatayu were all presented through subtly detailed moves.
Rajashree said, “It was a challenging dance performance as I had to present multiple characters with the same energy. It was also challenging to portray these characters perfectly so that the audience would be able to recognise them.” The 15-minute act was set to raga Ragamalika.
Ratikanat Mohapatra, the organiser of ‘Tumari Smrutire’, said: “Sita haran was a pet dance of veteran danseuse Sanjukta Panigrahi and Rajashree has presented it beautifully. This recital was a tribute to the legendary dancer.”
Rajashree is a recipient of the title “Sringaramani” for her performance at Kal-ke-Kalakar organised by Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai. The Union Ministry of Culture awarded her with National scholarship for Odissi in 2004. She was also given the title ‘Nalanda Nrutya Nipuna’ in for her performance at Mumbai Festival in 2007.
Two more of Sanjukta’s favorite recitals ‘Saberi Pallavi’ and ‘Ardha-Nareswari’ were presented by Kabita Mishra and a group. The artistes belonged to Srujan.
