Shashwati Garai Ghosh mesmerises with Odissi

It was pouring rain, as they say, 'cats and dogs' this past Monday in Dhaka, and while most people were apprehensive about stepping out in this weather, not even the strongest gushes of wind and water could stop dance enthusiasts from commuting to Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy's Music and Dance Centre to watch Shashwati Garai Ghosh's mesmerising Odissi dance presentation.

On invitation from noted dance exponent Sharmila Bannerjee and her school Nrityanandan, student of esteemed Odissi dancer Smt. Sharmila Biswas and founder of Angashuddhi-Home for Odissi, Shashwati Garai Ghosh travelled from India for a weeklong workshop beginning June 6. After a week of rigorous training, Shashwati and her students presented the basics of Odissi dance in front of fellow dancers, performing arts enthusiasts and the press on June 12. The event was graced with presence of noted dancers, representatives of IGCC, Shilpakala Academy and Bangladesh Nrityashilpi Shangstha.

The students of the workshop began the presentation with a Bhumi Pranam, and then moved on to display10 basic stepping techniques of Chouka. They finished their presented with a demonstration of some of the essential footwork of Odissi dance. 

Shashwati presented the entire margam (framework) of Odissi to the audience, which consisted of six main pieces in a set format. Because of time constraint, the audience could not enjoy the entire pieces, as Shashwati presented bits and fragments that represented each dance. The dances performed were Mancha Pravesh, the piece that signifies ascending and taking blessings from the stage that one is about to perform on; Mangalacharan, for which she did a Ganesh Vandana, the piece that takes blessings from a diety; Batu, which is a pure dance offering in honour of Lord Batuka Bhairava, one of the 64 aspects of Lord Shiva; Pallavi, also a pure dance, an exposition not only of the dance but also of the music that accompanies it; an Abhinaya piece, expressional in nature; a depiction of a Bhava or deep emotion expressed in a song or lyric; and lastly, a Mokshya, equivalent to a Thillana in Bharatanatyam. 

Shashwati was very pleased with the students of Bangladesh. “I really enjoyed my time here. The students worked very hard throughout the week. Next time, I will make sure I come for a longer time and we can hold a bigger show for a larger audience. I will be back, there is no doubt,” she said.

Sharmila Bannerjee, founder and director of Nrityanandan, at the end of the presentation thanked Shashwati for her efforts with the students and the workshop. She also promised to bring Shashwati back to teach Odissi to Bangladeshi students through more in-depth classes. 

Sharmila Bannarjee and Benazir Salam, one of the only two professional Odissi dancers in the country next to Proma Abonty, have taken the initiative to spread Odissi across the country and bring it to the fore, next to the popularities of Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Manipuri. They plan to bring more gurus of Odissi and hold an Odissi-based show at the beginning of next year.