How
many years did you learn under Late Deba Prasad Das?
I learnt under
Deba Sir privately for 12 long years, from 1974-1986.
What inspired
you to get into the field of dance?
I had a personal
interest in art as such and particularly in dance, since my early childhood.
Other dancers also inspired me and my interest was accelerated when I was
given lead roles in dance dramas at school and college. Moved by my anxiety
to learn the art form, my father decided to make me learn it. Thus I came
under the auspices of Shri Sudhakar Sahu, who was then being trained by
Deba Sir. It was not too long when I came to be taught by Deba Sir directly.
My father-in-law was very encouraging and sincerely wanted me to take up
dance as a career, but after marriage I was not able to adjust my time,
having dance on one hand, family and academics on the other. Thus I preferred
to stop and more so the reason, this change came over after the sad demise
of Deba Sir. But I am still in touch with dance, as I choreograph ballets
for my students at school.
Why did
you prefer to learn under Deba Sir?
Those were
the days when I was staying at Puri with my parents. I wanted to learn
under Deba Sir. After much persuasion he agreed to teach me personally
at a fees of 100/- (1974). One hundred rupees then was a very big amount
and even the most affluent student of Deba Sir gave him not more than 30/-
- 40/-. Sir was very punctual and dedicated to his service. I remember
one such incident. One day Guruma was severely ill and was hospitalized
and the very same day I was to take lessons from Sir and thus I had gone
to his house. He did not go to the hospital, instead he taught me that
day. Besides I had heard a lot about him and even some dancers told me
that he was a perfectionist and a strict disciplinarian. Thus I decided
to learn directly under him.
Please highlight
on his teaching methodology?
His style
of teaching was unique. Particularly his Sthayee was so well choreographed
that I was in love with this item. It is a pure dance number and Sir had
filled it with gorgeous postures, taken from exotic dance panels of ancient
temples in Orissa. But it was too rigorous and tiring. Sir had infused
a lot of folk and traditional culture into his dance which made it very
appealing to the common mass. He was a perfectionist. I also loved his
Naba Rasa, which has been very well composed. He used to emphasize more
on the facial expressions instead of complicating it with unnecessary exhibition
of Mudras that made no meaning. Thus his Abhinayas were easily understandable.
I remember he had composed an Abhinaya (Dekhile Parana Jiba Chaada Mohana)
for me. I was to perform it at Delhi Doordarsan Kendra. This particular
item appealed to me the most as it was specially made for me. Deba Sir
preferred to tie the saree around instead of cutting it into a stitched
costume. I believe his style was the purest and there was not too much
show involved.
Why did
you prefer to stick to him instead of learning from some other Guru?
Deba Sir was
very famous during that time. His theory knowledge was wonderful. His dance
was very pure and was not at all showy. I liked his ways and thus I preferred
to stick to him.
You have
been a well-known dancer in the past. Do you notice any difference in the
performance style during your time and the performance style at present?
Time has changed.
Gone are those days when dance was considered a Sadhana. We did not have
many programmes and thus there was no option for us but to practice and
polish whatever we had learnt. It was a blessing in disguise as we were
moulded into perfect dancers. Nowadays youngsters are more into shows.
They are performing immediately after a crash course of 3-4 months. It
has become a farce. Those days there were no crash courses offered and
we were made to practice hard for minimum 4 years before we stepped onto
the stage. Dance has become commercial. Even the Gurus are charging their
students per item. It has all become a show. Even the costumes have become
too cheap and commercial. No more aesthetic sense is left in people.
Given a
chance would you like to return to the field of dance?
Too many youngsters
are there in the field. They should be given a chance to exhibit their
talents. Besides, trends have changed. Audience prefer group performances
to solo performances. No more are they interested in solo dancers.
What is
your advice for the dancers of the younger generation?
Perfection
is very important. Dance is not a child’s play. It is a Sadhana. They should
not emphasize more on stage performances. They should never try to commercialize
and thus dilute this dance form. Always try hard and strive to preserve
its pristine purity.
| Rahul Acharya, disciple of Guru Durga Charan Ranbir is doing research
on Jagannath Culture and the ritualistic aspect of dance under the able
guidance of Shri R.N Rathsharma and special guidance from the Gajapati
Maharaja of Puri. He is also being trained in the field of Vedas and Shastras,
by Shri R.N Rathsharma, who himself is an authority on Jagannath Culture. |
 |
(December 18,
2002)
|
