Odissi exponent Vani Madhav tells Shrabasti Mallik that learning dance has been a spiritual journey for her. She is now making efforts to promote the classical dance form on a global platform
The wonderful and magnificently expressive mudras of Odissi dance come alive with every step of Vani Madhav. Hailing from Odisha she was trained in the classical gharana from a tender age. And it is no secret that she is among few who have passionately shouldered the daunting task of popularising Odissi on national and international level. “I have been training in Odissi for many years and I strongly believe that it should not be restricted to home ground but should taste success in international waters too,” Vani mentions.
She was in the city earlier to perform a piece titled Ritu Nayika which depicts how a nayika feels in all the seasons without her lover. “I have shown the nayika’s feelings in all the six seasons of the year — namely grisma (summer), varsha (monsoon), sarat (autumn), hemanta (cool), sisira (winter) and vasanta (spring),” she explains. The dance draws its locus from Kalidasa’s Ritusamhara. “This particular piece has been choreographed by guru Durga Charan Ranbir,” she adds.
It was the support of her mother, who was a veena player and her entire family that she took her baby steps towards dancing which she describes as “supremely spiritual and inspiring.” Her family is her sole inspiration.
She took her first dance lessons under the watchful eye of her first guru Gajendra Panda. She recalls, “Guruji taught me with a lot of dedication and was extremely patient with me as I was only a child then.” It was with his help later, that she learnt from guru Sudhakar Sahu. “Till date,” she says, “both my gurus continue to inspire me and have high hopes from me.”
She is inspired by daily happenings and draws her knowledge from everybody she meets and that helps her improvise her dance and come up with new ideas. She explains, “My experiments with the dance in day-to-day living have been greatest sources of learning.” Her interactions with people also help her overcome struggles and difficulties in life.
It is her indomitable urge to promote Odissi outside the home state that she laid the foundation of Nrityadhara in Gurgaon, earlier this year. “I wanted to impart training in the style of Odissi exponent late Debaprasad Das. Nrityadhra was conceived because I am an avid proponent of his style,” she informs and makes it a point to mention that Delhi has also changed her perception both as a dancer and as a human being. “I need to cope up with things happening here. There are so many cultural events happening every day in Delhi,” she says.
When asked about her plans for future and her forthcoming events, she smiles and rounds off, “My future plans will forever be to give an exceptional performance on every stage where I will get an opportunity to perform.”