Back-to-back performances hold audience spellbound

Back-to-back heartwarming performances were presented here on Monday at Antarang Hall, Bharat Bhavan on West Bengal Mahotsav, making the audience tap their feet over the classical tunes. To begin with the series of performances at Bharat Bhavan, a splendid Chhau dance performance was presented by Tarapada Rajak along with his troupe. Notably, Tarapada Rajak of West Bengal is known for his perfection and innovations in Chhau dance performances.

Notably, the Chhau dance of Purulia district is one of the most vibrant and colourful art forms. Emerging from martial practice, the Purulia Chhau is a vigorous form of dance drama. A distinctive feature of the dance is the acrobatic use of body and the intricately crafted masks worn by the dancers.

Further, chhau dance includes local legends, folklore and episodes from the two epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The protagonists are both classical and mythical, like the lord Shiva, goddess Durga, Kartik, Ganesh, Kirat, Ranana, Mahishasur and others. Featuring the episodes from the epics, Tarapada Rajak and his troupe won hearts of the Bhopalites.

Highly decorated masks of various characters are worn by the dancers. These masks conceal the facial expressions of the artists but it helps them to portray the character. Expressions of various emotions through movement of the limbs made the dance as lively like a dance drama. The performance was much enjoyed by the performance with a lot of enthusiasm. later, a rhythmical performance of Sarod recital presented by Devanjan Bhattacharya added more charm in the series of performances. He played Alap, Jhor, Jhala, Ek Taal, and Teen Taal presenting the winter ragas. As he began playing the Sarod, his experience in the playing the tuneful rhythms and love for the music was clearly witnessed by the audience.

The series of performances was concluded with the Sitar Recital by Pandit Debu Chowdhary. As he strucked the string of the sitar, the mood of the evening was enhanced leaving the audience enthralled. All the three back to back performances left a lasting impact over the audience and the art lovers of the city enjoyed the show with a lot of ecstasy.