Following Bengaluru and Kolkata, the stage is set for the launch of a two-day exclusive annual Mumbai Odishi Utsav at the Kalaangan amphitheatre at Juhu in the capital city of Maharashtra from Saturday. The festival is being hosted jointly by the Odishi International Festival Forum of Bhubaneswar-based Samskritiki cultural society and the Kaishiki Dance Academy of Mumbai.
“We have been hosting an annual Odishi International Festival in Bhubaneswar for the past eight years as the annual union of the global Odishi family in the land of the classical dance. The five-day festival has already featured Odishi dancers from 21 countries and various States of India. In view of its growing popularity, we decided to host similar exclusive events in major metros of India, Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, every year which have emerged as major centres of Odishi dance. We have already launched an Odishi Utsavs in Bengaluru and Kolkata while the New Delhi event is scheduled for April,” informed Odishi International founder-director Shyamhari Chakra.
“Mumbai has a glorious history of Odishi dance that starts with legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra’s visit to our city decades ago. Mumbai dancers and dance lovers have loved and nurtured Odishi in a very intimate way for which it has grown up as a very popular dance along with Bharatanatyam and Kathak in this city of Bollywood. My academy came forward to host the festival that aims at bringing together the Odishi community of Maharashtra,” stated eminent Odishi exponent Daksha Mashruwala, founder-director of Kalsihiki Dance Academy.
“The festival will feature nearly 100 dancers including solo, duet and 11 group presentations. Almost all major Odishi institutions of Mumbai are presenting their artistes in this festival. Apart from Daksha Mashruwala, Mumbai’s eminent Odishi exponents like Debi Basu, Jhelum Paranjape and Rabindra Atibuddhi are attending this festival. Though the festival aims at bringing together the Odishi dancers and institutions of Maharashtra during its first edition, we have also included Madhulita Mohapatra’s Nrityantar Academy of Odishi from Bengaluru and Jyoti Srivastava’s Vaishali Kala Kendra from Delhi who have been hosting similar festivals in their respective cities,” informed festival convener and Odishi dancer Namrata Mehta.
“This festival is being hosted in the true family spirit with community contribution and involvement. Instead of waiting for any government or corporate sponsorship, the Odishi dance institutions have come together to generate the resources required for the event,” explained Odishi dancer Swapnokalpa Dasgupta, who heads the Department of Dance at the prestigious National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai.