Barely three years of an initiative taken by a group of enthusiastic culture lovers of Mayurbhanj district to revive and propagate the indigenous and dwindling folk art, Mayurbhanj Chhau, has yielded results.
A team comprising eight Chhau artists, including five dancers and three musicians, have performed in Trinidad and Tobago of Caribbean nation West indies and in Guinea.
They not only enthralled the audiences by their performances; also earned accolades from the host countries High Commissioners.
Thanks to the initiative of ‘Project Chhauni’ and ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations), this has been possible.
According to executive director of ‘Project Chhauni’ , Subhashree Mukharjee, for the members of this troupe, it was not only a debut to perform overseas , but also for the first time experience for the Guinea where any Indian troupe performed in its land.
Mukharjee, an ardent lover of Odishi as well Chhau, evincing interest to revive lost glory of Mayurbhanj Chhau with assistance of another culture lover Bibhudatta Das, while drew a roadmap, they showed it to the then district Collector Rajesh Prabhakar Patil.
Patil quickly conceded to the proposal and the mission began since then which included mainly identifying the established yet neglected artists , their socio- economic status and training for the new comers in two groups , junior and senior.
“The success of our troupe is possible today by the encouragement and help provided by the then Collector Patil. We travelled extensively to all blocks and panchayats to find out the artists who are no longer in troupes. Further, orientation and trainings for freshers were imparted,” said Mukherjee.
She said the troupe on tour would give 12 performances on stage and hold four workshops.
The flight expenditure while was borne by ICCR , the lodging boarding and remunerations parts were looked in by the concerned State High Commissioners.
For the district of a tribal dominated ,Mayurbhanj it is a matter of great pride that our culture and art is showcased in foreign countries by our artists, said culture lover Ashok Dalbehera of Baripada town.
“Ever since the troupes were formed under Project Chhauni , the artists have performed over 50 places including outside the State. This is the first occasion they have got chance after going through a stringent selection procedure of ICCR,” said director of Project Chhauni Bibhudatta Das.