For nearly three decades, Bengal-born and Rourkela-based Suchismita Sen Biswas has been sowing seeds of Bharatanatyam in the land of Odishi. And her silent but sustained crusade has reaped rich dividend. The State, that did not have any Bharatanatyam dancer of its own until the end of the last decade, has above 150 trained Bharatanatyam dancers today.
Born and brought up in the culturally vibrant city of Kolkata, Suchismita was groomed by Thankamani Kutty, the best known exponent of Bharatanatyam in West Bengal. Even as a teenager, she had emerged as the lead dancer in her guru’s famed Kolkata Kalamandalam troupe. She was barely 20 when she was empanelled as an A-grade Bharatanatyam dancer for Doordarshan. However, all of a sudden, her marriage snatched her away from her Guru, her Guru’s troupe and from her beloved city as well.
Bengal’s loss was Odisha’s gain. She had to shift to Rourkela city where her husband was posted to the National Institute of Technology (NIT). “Initially I felt completely cut off from dance that was my passion and dream-destination to be a professional Bharatanatyam dancer. However, to keep the dancer alive in me, I started teaching Bharatanatyam to the toddlers at the Saswata Sangeetalaya school of music and dance on the NIT campus. And this was my humble beginning as a Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher in the State where Odishi was everyone’s first love,” recollected Suchismita, who had graduated with psychology and specialized in education for the children with special needs besides being an expert in dance therapy for the differently abled children.
She has been the founder-director of the two-decade old Kalabhumi, an institution for performing arts, that has also introduced teaching of two more Indian classical dance traditions in Odisha - Kuchipudi and Mohiniattam – through annual workshops.
“Her motivation and grooming has helped many of us to establish ourselves as solo dancers and dance trainers,” acknowledged Pune-based Rashmita Rani who hails from Rourkela. Added Tripti Dutta Mazumder who is from West Bengal but based at Rourkela since 11 years, “My dance career had halted after marriage and motherhood. But, her motivation and guidance helped me to be back on the track after 15 long years. Like me, many mothers are enjoying dancing today because of her.”
“Years ago, when I had gone to the famed Kalakshetra in Chennai, considered as the Mecca of Bharatanatyam, I was advised by many friends to refrain from any attempt to establish a Bharatanatyam institute in Odisha where Odishi would be the natural choice of its people. But, the cosmopolitan culture of Rourkela has helped me to prove them wrong. Odisha has accepted me as her dancer-daughter as much as I have loved Odisha as my home for so many years,” shared Suchismita who was honoured by India International Dance Festival Forum for promotion of Bharatanatyam in Odisha last year.