Hours before its inauguration on Monday evening, the State Government’s prestigious annual Mukteswar Odissi Dance Festival, hosted by its Department of Tourism, has sparked off much resentment among the Odishi community, especially dancers of Guru Debaprasad Das style, over its controversial selection of artistes.
“There is a deliberate attempt to marginalise the dancers belonging to late Guru Debaprasad Das who evolved a distinct style despite a huge number of dancers, choreographers and Gurus following the style worldwide. There is not a single dancer belonging to the style in this three-day festival despite specific instructions from former Tourism Minister Debi Prasad Mishra and present Minister Ashok Chandra Panda to give adequate representation to different styles of Odishi in all Government organised festivals,” rued Guru Gajendra Panda, disciple of late Guru Debaprasad Das, who has been hosting a number of events in memory of his Guru in Bhubaneswar, New Delhi, Singapore, Japan and Malayasia.
Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, regarded as the flag-bearer of the style, also aired similar sentiments. “I am surprised and shocked that a prestigious festival like Mukteswar that the whole world would be watching does not have a single dancer from Guru Debaprasad Das style. This is injustice to the pioneer who was a founder father of Odishi,” he stated.
A number of Odishi Gurus, on condition of anonymity, complained that the members who are in the selection committee for Odisha Government’s Konark and Mukteswar dance festivals are promoting their own disciples since several years. It is high time that such unethical practice be banned and gurus of the applicants should not be allowed to be their selectors, they demanded.
Investigations revealed that a number of experts from the field of Odishi dance from Odisha are not invited to these committees. Kumkum Mohanty, a living legend who headed the state-owned Odissi Research Centre for the longest period, has never been invited. Similarly, Odishi exponent and scholar Minati Mishra, another living legend, who has been a regular visitor to dance festivals, has never been involved. Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, who was a member of the committee, was removed several years ago for reasons best known to the department while he has been in the jury for selection of dancers for India’s most famous Khajuraho dance festival conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Government. Even internationally acclaimed dancer Sujata Mohapatra is yet to be invited to the selection committee.
Contacted, officials of the Tourism Department confessed that though the Commissioner and the Director of the department are members of the selection committee besides Director of Culture, the responsibility and freedom for selection of dancers is given to the experts on dance.