Odissi- A dance form of antiquity

Courtesy: Internet

One of the widely acclaimed Indian classical dance , the Odissi (Orissi) dance hails from the Eastern state of Odissa. It roots back to a long tradition of more than 2000 years.

Over the years, three distinct schools of the dance have developed: Mahari, Nartaki, and Gotipua. The Mahaari tradition is the Devadasi tradition; endorsed by women who are attached to deities in the temple. The Nartaki tradition is the school of Odissi dance that fluorished in the royal courts. The Gotipua is a style characterized by group of young boys dressed in unique female attire.

During the colonial regime the Devadasi tradition in Jagannath Temple (Puri) was abolished and the royal patronage to this dance form was pulled off with the advent of Britishers. With the passing tides this unique and royal dance form is gaining its old glory and has become an extremely popular dance form in India and abroad.

Odissi is an amalgamation of styles (Mudras). The term Mudra means "Stamp" and is a hand gesture which signifies various emotions and things. The use of mudras helps in telling a story in a much clearer and graphical manner, very similar to the Hula of Hawaii. Few important styles being Tribhangi, Chowka etc. The dance is generally accompanied by Odissi music. There are several instruments used like; Pakhawaj, Bansuri(Flute), Sitar, Manjira and Tanpura. The theme of Odissi commonly revolves around Lord Krishna. Poets like Jayadeva, Kalichandra , Upendra Bhanja’s creations are depicted in this eternal dance form.

Main exponents in this field are Padmashree Guru Kelu Charan Mahapatra, Guru Durga Charan Ranvir, Guru Pankaj Charan Das. The contemporary repertoire of Odissi bears signatures of these patrons . Their pure dance numbers (Pallavis) and interpretive works (Abhinaya) have become classics. This dance form stands out in the crowd for its sophistication, beauty, and an overall sense of aesthetics.

Patta Chittra: A poetry in colours- An exquisite art form of Odissa

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If you feel that only the sprawling golden beaches and the monumental temples make Odissa one of the most beautiful Indian states , then you could be wrong. It is also the land of one of the most exquisite painting forms - " The Patta Chittra". The word "Patta" originates from the Sanskrit language which means "Vashtra/Canvas/Cloth" and "Chittra" stands for "Picture". This art form has the finest of characterization and is a mélange of mythological themes mostly comprising stories from the Mahabharata, Ramayana and legends concerning Krishna, Radha and Lord Jagannath.

History reveals that the Patta paintings revolve around the cult of Lord Jagannath, even being considered to be as old as the construction of the Jagannath Temple in Puri somewhere during the 12th Century A.D. These paintings were made by the traditional Chitrakaras (Painters) who used to observe a strict ritual during their assignment. They had to follow high degree of austerities (e.g; women were not allowed to touch the painting/s). The Chitrakara had to be a strict vegetarian during the course of the painting, ought to sleep on the bare ground and also had to donne a new dhoti (a long yard of cloth for men) during that period every day. After the painting was completed, a Mahasnana (Grand Bath) used to be arranged with chanting of mantras (holy chants). Then the paintings were placed in front of the deity along with other offerings. Later these paintings were preserved at the store of the temple.

The `patta', is an indigenously-prepared canvas made of old cotton clothing. The brushes are homemade and are from the buffalo or calf or the mouse hairs. The colours are prepared from vegetable or mineral extracts. The colours used for these paintings are bright and primarily white, red, yellow, blue, green and black. The red colour is used predominently for the back ground. The uniqueness of this painting lies in its overall finesse and also the intricate decorative borders drawn on all sides of the central theme to give it a frame like look.

“Painting is an attempt to come to terms with life.” Raghurajpur, a picturesque village on the banks of the river Bhargavi, around 12 kilometres from Puri very well defines this quote. This village is anything but ordinary. Painting is a way of life here and everyone is an artist practising one or more of nine art forms — `Patta chitra', `Matha chitra' (painting on tussar silk fabric), Wood carving, Stone sculpture, Paper masks, Cow dung toys, Coconut painting,`Talapatra chitra' (painting on palm leaf), and `Ganjappa' or playing cards. But it is definitely “Patta Chittra' that has brought Raghurajpur, the national and international pride and honour.

With changing times, Patta Chittra has broken the shackles of austerities and filtered into every walks of life. I have been following this art form for quite some time. It gives me a recluse from idiosyncrasies of life and helps me find out the much needed sanctity and peace. Kudos to this divinely elegant craft and hope to see it grow further in leaps and bounds.

Tribes of Odissa

Courtesy:Internet

Out of 437 varieties of Tribes in India, 64 belong to the state Odissa. Linguistically, tribal population is divided into 4 categories; (1) Austric speakers, (2) Dravidian speakers, (3) Tibeto-Burmese speakers, and (4) Indo-Aryan speakers. Except the Tibeto-Burmese speakers, rest of the varieties are present in Odissa. Major portion of tribes dwell in the hilly and the forested regions. Their Subsistance economy is mainly based on a combination of hunting and collecting with shifting cultivation (e.g., the Juanga,, Hill Bhuyan, Lanjia Saura, Kandha etc.) or collecting, hunting and fishing (e.g., the Birhor, Hill Kharia).

In Odissa each tribe is identified by a unique trait ; (1) In Northern part the Juanga and Bhuyan, and in southern part the Kandha, Saura, Koya, Parenga, Didayi, Dharua and Bonda practise shifting cultivation. They supplement their economy by food-gathering and hunting.
(2) The Koya belongs to a cattle-breeder tribal community. This tribe inhabits the Malkangiri District and has been facing crisis for lack of pasture in the recent past.
(3) The Mahali and Lohara tribe practise crafts like basket weaving and blacksmithery respectively. The Loharas with their age old skills and primitive tools manufacture iron and wooden equipments. Like wise the Mahalis earn their living by weaving baskets.
(4) The Kharia, Mankidi, Mankidia and Birhor tribes live in the forests of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts. They primarily depend on forest resources for their livelihood. They also practise hunting, gathering and collecting. Their entire lifestyle revolves around the forest. Their survival is fully in harmony with the forest eco-system. Socio-politically they have remained inarticulate and in comparison to others they have remained in a relatively more primitive stage, and are extremely neglected.

Today with rampant industrialization and mining operations, uprooting of tribal villages has resulted in millions of nomads deprived of their natural habitat surroundings. They have lost their traditional occupation, agricultural land, homes. With increase urbanization, their simple life has been affected by unequal access to resources, inadequate educational opportunities, persistent and increasing burden of poverty and inequalities in access to health.

The saying goes its not the stone that killed Goliath. The abominable ecological crime (Mine Blasting, deforestation etc) could wipe out the biodiversity and the cultural richness of Odissa. We need to gird our loins before it too late !!!
A quote I couldn’t stop jotting down-
Only after the last tree has been cut down,
only after the last river has been poisoned,
only after the last fish has been caught..
only then will you know that money cannot be eaten.

Olive Ridleys- The Silent Ninjas Of The Sea

Courtesy: Internet

The Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Odissa''s Kendrapada district, 174 km from the capital city, Bhuvaneshwar, hosts the world''s largest nesting site for the endangered Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys oliveacea ) turtles. Every year, between December and April, thousands of these beautiful creatures come ashore to lay their eggs. This activity is also termed as the arribada or mass nesting .It is nothing but a miracle that around 700,000-800,000 Olive Ridleys begin swimming their way to Gahirmatha with the onset of every winter as if working to an biological clock to congregate, mate and nest.

There are three major mass nesting sites in Odissa: the Nasi islands in Gahirmatha, the Rushikulya river mouth and the Devi river mouth. The Rushikulya nesting beach was discovered in 1994 by researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India during turtle surveys around the Orissa coast. Today more than the natural predators such as dogs, jackals,wild boar and eagles or gulls, the main threat towards the eggs, hatchlings and turtles are from the human beings. There are large-scale irreversible threats looming over the nesting turtle due to many man made disasters (deep sea drilling, chemical pollution, rapid destruction of coral reefs, deaths in trawling nets & fishing gears, non-usage of TEDs; "Turtle Excluder Device" and poaching).

More than a breeding ground, today the Odissa coast has turned into a turtle graveyard. It is a costly price we are paying by this needless slaughter of these gentle creatures. So far not only the Odissa government but also many governments worldwide have failed to take threats to sea turtles'' survival seriously and have made no sincere efforts to protect them. A rampant awareness campaign is called for in the face of such dire circumstances. "Operation Kachhapa" remains the only turtle conservation programme that is working consistently in Odissa. It definitely has made a significant impact since its inception but a lot more is yet to be done to curb the alarming mortality rate. A revolution awaitens stop the silent death of these gentle Sea Ninjas. Revolution begins when we start deciding for ourselves. To stop this ecological carnage, not only the government but also every citizen of this globe has to pledge for their survival and protection. They have every right to live and can’t we just give them their fair chance!!!