ISSN 2455-7250

Vol. XIX No. 3

July-September 2019 A Quarterly Journal of Indian Dance

Jaya Rama Rao

Vanashree Rao
Vanashree and Jaya Rama Rao
A Quarterly Journal of Indian Dance
Volume: XIX, No. 3 July-September 2019

Sahrdaya Arts Trust

Hyderabad
 RNI No. APENG2001/04294
ISSN 2455-7250
Nartanam, founded by Kuchipudi Kala
Kendra, Mumbai, now owned and Founders
published by Sahrdaya Arts Trust, Late G. M. Sarma
Hyderabad, is a quarterly which provides Late M. N. Sarma
a forum for scholarly dialogue on a
broad range of topics concerning Indian
dance. Its concerns are theoretical as well Chief Editor
as performative. Textual studies, dance Madhavi Puranam
criticism, intellectual and interpretative
history of Indian dance traditions are its Advisory Board
focus. It publishes performance reviews
and covers all major events in the field Anuradha Jonnalagadda (Scholar, Kuchipudi dancer)
of dance in India and notes and comments
Avinash Pasricha (Former Photo Editor, SPAN; SNA Awardee)
on dance studies and performances
abroad. C.V. Chandrasekhar (Bharatanatyam Guru, Padma Bhushan)
The opinions expressed in the articles Kedar Mishra (Poet, Scholar, Critic)
and the reviews are the writers’ own and
do not reflect the opinions of the editorial Kiran Seth (Padma Shri; Founder, SPIC MACAY)
committee. The editors and publishers
K. K. Gopalakrishnan (Critic, Scholar)
of Nartanam do their best to verify the
information published but do not take Leela Venkataraman (Critic, Scholar, SNA Awardee)
responsibility for the absolute accuracy
of the information. Mallika Kandali (Sattriya dancer, Scholar)
Manjari Sinha (Critic, Scholar)
Reginald Massey (Poet, FRSA, Freeman of London)
Cover:
Jaya Rama Rao Sunil Kothari (Scholar, Padma Shri, SNA Awardee, Fellow
Vanashree Rao of SNA)
Suresh K. Goel (Former Director General, ICCR)
Cover Photo Courtesy:
Avinash Pasricha
Cover, Design & Layout
Shakeel Ahmad

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Printed and published by Madhavi Puranam on behalf of Sahrdaya Arts Trust, Hyderabad
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Editor: Madhavi Puranam
 NARTANAM
Volume: XIX, No. 3 July-September 2019

CONTENTS
Editorial/ 7
Jaya Rama Rao and Vanashree Rao /9
LEELA VENKATARAMAN

Folk culture of Dimasa Kacharis of Assam /66

DHARMESWAR DUARAH

Folk Dances of Goalpara / 74

SWAPNANIL BARUA

The Rhythms of Darrang / 78

LOPA DAS

Dances of Tea Tribes / 90

RUPLEKHA BORBORA DAS

Abhinaya Chandrika – Moonbeam of Acting / 94

ILEANA CITARISTI

Photos of Jaya Rama Rao and Vanashree Rao Courtesy:

AVINASH PASRICHA
INNI SINGH
PARTHIV
RAHUL NAG
KRISHNA CHAKRAVORTY
SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI ARCHIVES, NEW DELHI
6 Nartanam

EDITORIAL

We are pleased to present this special issue on the renowned Kuchipudi gurus
and exponents Jaya Rama Rao and Vanashree Rao, the first in the series of dance
duos. The couple uphold all the old world charm and humility befitting great artists.
Unassuming and straight in their interview and precise in sending the information
that we sought, they proved to be a pleasure to document.

After a minor struggle with our very existence this year, we have picked
ourselves up from the financial shambles and are ready to wield the pen for a
couple of years more. With this issue we transition from documenting the first
generation of dancers and gurus of independent India to the second. We continue
with many constraints but there has never been an obstacle big enough to stop us
from our pursuit of giving the reader the very best on dance. Over the years,
gurus, practitioners, academics, students and other readers of dance have all
expressed their gratitude for bringing out this visionary journal conceived by our
late founders, G. M. Sarma and M. N. Sarma. It seems like yesterday when I was
learning the ropes of dance writing, editing and publishing under their tutelage.
Fresh in my memory is the occasional impasse created by being at loggerheads
with each other on some or the other aspect of Nartanam's content or its
presentation or even the number of pages, with G. M. Sarma (our Founder-
Publisher) reminding us of the cost of printing even one extra page. My enthusiasm
for Nartanam to be as elaborate in content as possible was painful to the publisher.
Weilding the mantle now, I appreciate the burden of the increasing cost of running
a print journal. However, the delight of having a rich issue in hand which adds to
our treasure trove is parallel to none.

We are proud to present in this issue a collection of articles on the folk dances
of Assam written by the experts of the land. Our team member Mallika Kandali,
a respected dancer and scholar of Sattriya, has been devoted to the compilation of
these articles.

Madhavi Puranam
Nartanam 7

A Remembrance

Edward Oakley who passed on aged 78 on 8 July 2019 headed Obeetee, India’s
leading carpet and rug company. He was a patron of Nartanam. His family
established the carpet business more than a century ago, in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh.
Obeetee, so named after the three traders who set it up, Oakley, Bowden and
Taylor, was the country’s leading exporter of rugs and carpets.

Born in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Edward was the son of Elaine and Wilfred
Oakley. He was educated at Rossall school in Lancashire, after which he qualified
as a chartered accountant. Aged 23, he returned to the family business in Mirzapur.
In 2012 he retired and moved to Noida and pursued his passion for collecting
modern Indian art.

Rudra Chatterjee of Obeetee says of Edward, "The many people of the Obeetee
parivar who's lives were transformed because of our association with him are in
grief. In his life Edward created our institution - he instilled in each of us the sense
of belonging to this company, honed our professionalism, put integrity first and
outcomes later. All of you who have known Edward know how exceptional he
was. An argument with Edward wasn't for the faint hearted - he spoke with wit,
wisdom and was not shy of offending, and would himself look forward to a spirited
conversation. Evenings with Edward were always memorable. His warmth and
affection was mostly reserved for the most vulnerable - weavers, staff, day-workers
looked to him, and by extension look to the parivar in Obeetee - as guardians.
Edward has nurtured Obeetee to where we are today. Obeetee completes hundred
years as a company, and his spirit and memory will continue to guide us for years
to come."
8 Nartanam

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We thank the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New
Delhi, for its partial financial assistance for
the publication of this journal.
Publishers, Nartanam
Nartanam 9

Jaya Rama Rao and Vanashree Rao

LEELA VENKATARAMAN

It was thirty four years ago

in 1986, when the India Festival
was being held in Russia that I
first came into contact with the
then young dancing Kuchipudi
couple Vanashree Rao and Jaya
Rama Rao. I had heard some
of my friends refer to Rama
Rao as the earliest traditional
Kuchipudi Guru in Delhi who
had graduated (1962-1967)
from Siddhendra Kalakshetram
situated in the village of
Kuchipudi – the Mecca of the
dance form so to speak, its
official recognition after being
set up in a proper building
coming in the late fifties through
the unstinted efforts of Banda
Kanakalingeswar Rao, though
right from the forties youngsters
were being trained in the village Jaya Rama Rao

LEELA VANKATARAMAN is a Delhi based dance historian, author and commentator on the
dance scene of India for over five decades. Her incisive writings on various aspects of dance have
earned her wide readership. She is a regular contributor to Nartanam, Sruti, Narthaki.com and has
contributed to journals like TDR and Pulse. She has participated in seminars and symposiums on
dance worldwide and is the author of several books. The renowned critic is a recipient of the
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
66 Nartanam

Folk culture of Dimasa Kacharis of Assam

DHARMESWAR DUARAH

Since ancient times Dimasa Kacharis have been living in Assam. The word
‘Dimasa’ can be broken into: di = water, ma = huge or large, sa = children. That
is children of large water-body (or river). They call themselves the children of
the large river or the Brahmaputra or the people inhabiting the Brahmaputra
valley. The meaning of the word Dimapur can likewise be understood as di =
water, ma = large or huge, pur = city, that is they are the inhabitants of the city of
Dimapur which they established as their capital in the Dhansiri valley. It is to be
noted that before the Ahoms descended on Assam in the early part of the thirteenth
century, the landmass on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river, right from
Dikhow river to the Kolong river was under the Kachari kingdom.

Prominent among the earliest indigenous tribes of Assam, Dimasa Kacharis

belong to the Assam-Burman sub-group of the Tibeto-Burman language family.
The Tibeto-Burmans migrated from the south of China through the rivers
Brahmaputra, Irawadi, Mekong, etc., to settle in Assam, Burma (Myanmar) and
Indochina, comprising today’s Thailand, Malayasia, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia,
etc.

Dimasa Kacharis are courageous, honest and straightforward. They have a

good power-packed physique. A Dimasa family is formed under a male head. It
includes the wife of the head, their children and the unmarried brother and sisters
of the family head. After marriage, a girl goes to her husband’s house from her
home. Likewise, after marriage the boys separate from their parents to establish
their own households and start a family. The husband generally has the larger say
in the household affairs than the wife. Familial expenses from the earnings are

DHARMESWAR DUARAH is an expert who has extensively studied the Dimasa Kacharis of
Assam.
74 Nartanam

Folk Dances of Goalpara

SWAPNANIL BARUA

Goalpara, which was the westernmost district of Assam, is a melting pot of

cultures. The old district has now been divided into several new districts of Dhubri,
Goalpara, Bongaigao, South Salmara, Kokrajhar and Chirang. While the first three
have a mixed population of Assamese, Koch Rajbongshis, immigrant and indigenous
Muslims, South Salmara is predominantly Muslim, while Chirang and Kokrajhar
have a dominant Bodo presence, with a sizeable Adivasis, immigrant Muslim and
Nepali population also present. Thus there are people of all communities and
religions, who have made their home there and this has added a multi hued flavor
to their culture, with marked cross cultural influences. In these districts, we find a
common cultural affinity in spite of the presence of tribals, non tribals, Hindus,
Muslims, Christians; who live together, have their cultural differences, but are
now trying to work out their own cultural influences as an extension of the assertion
of political spaces and areas of influence.

Renewed interest in their own cultures has prompted the communities to delve
and develop their folk repertoire, be it in song or dances. The state as a whole is
now getting to see and hear more of this treasure trove, through the medium of
folk fairs and culture fests as also television and print media. The culture of the
area has also been influenced by its proximity to Bangladesh, Cooch Behar of
West Bengal and Bhutan. Politically too, the area has been in and out of Assam
since historical past, which also has led to the dominant cultures of Assam and
Bengal making its presence felt in the local culture. The proximity to the jungles
of Bhutan has created a unique livelihood of elephant trapping in the region and
along with the buffalo herders; has given rise to a sub-culture of its own, which
transcends religion, ethnicity, creating its own songs and music, pining and pathos,

SWAPNANIL BARUA is a former IAS officer, cultural activist and organizer, play writer, author,
art critic and orator. He is based in Guwahati, Assam.
78 Nartanam

The Rhythms of Darrang

LOPA DAS

The sociology of the performing arts has gained increasing importance in recent
years, revealing a variety of theoretical views. For some, music, dance and theatre
have inherent meanings, while others hold that these are socially constructed. These
forms are regarded as collaboratively produced in specific socio-economic contexts,
even as they become manifestations of a culture's established values. These in turn
become the data for political economies of performance.

From a kinesthetic perspective, rhythm is core to human evolution. Evolutionary

scientists hold that our ancestors began to mimic bodily representations in a
prelinguistic gestural society, whereby aesthetic control over their motor functions
led to the development of rhythm. This capacity has remained with us even as we
have language today. Now we harness that capacity in cultural forms like music
and dance, even in sports. Whether in folk or classical forms, rhythm is an
indispensable part of dance. Indeed, it is the dynamics of dance which are fundamental
to its grammar. Earlier, in prehistoric times, cultural expressions may have included
clapping, foot-tapping and the use of the humble stick to maintain rhythm. Along
with these characteristics, we also find the simulation of the movement of various
birds and animals in dance forms.

Percussion instruments soon became the mainstay for the maintenance of rhythm
common to most dance forms over the world. We readily give in to the appeal of
rhythm, notwithstanding which part of the world a dance form may belong to. These
instruments have also performed a variety of socio-cultural purposes which we
may trace back to the symbolic heralding of chieftains and kings; as auspicious
signs during warfare, processions, predictions, signals of danger, and to ward off

LOPA DAS is an exponent of the Likiri/Api Ojapali of the Byas and Suknanni forms. She is a
practising ophthalmologist in Guwahati, Assam.
90 Nartanam

Dances of Tea Tribes

RUPLEKHA BORBORA DAS

Assam is a beautiful land where different tribes of plains and hills reside together
with amity and harmony. Each of them has its own cultural heritage. The tea
garden labourers who were primarily brought to Assam from different parts of
India by British rulers for working in tea gardens have their own cultural and
religious identity. They practice different kinds of worship and have their own
cultural identity. They have different types of dances as discussed below.

JHUMOIR DANCE

Jhumoir dance is one of the most popular dances of the tea garden community.
It is an indispensable part of Karam Puja performed on the ekadashi tithi of the
month of Bhadra. Though this dance is primarily performed by women dancers,
men take part in it with accompanying musical instruments.

The young ladies perform this dance in a row by holding on to each others'
waist. The first lady of the row is called Agalidnandee. The female dancers
repeat the last two lines of the song sung by the male leading vocalist while
performing this dance.

Jhumoir dance is performed continuously from the evening to the next morning.
As the dance progresses, the rhythm of Madal takes separate terms; the rhythm
and expression of the song also changes step by step. The starting song of the
Jhumoir dance is called Jhingafuliya song. Jhingaful is a Jikaphool (a kind of
vegetable-flower). The Jikaphool (Sin Qua) is very beautiful to look at and it
blooms for a short period.

RUPLEKHA BORBORA DAS is a Sattriya Dancer. She has obtained a Ph.D in Sattriya dance and
is an Assistant Professor, Department of Performing Arts, Dibrugarh University, Assam.
94 Nartanam

Abhinaya Chandrika – Moonbeam of Acting

ILEANA CITARISTI

In spite of all the controversies about authenticity of manuscripts and differences

of opinions, the treatise on Odissi dance or Udra Gandharva attributed to
Maheswar Mohapatra, a poet at the court of Anangabhima Deva (17 century)
Abhinaya Chandrika is an important text which deserves to be studied by all
practitioners of the present form of Odissi dance.

The three printed versions at our disposal although based on different

manuscripts and having some discrepancies in terms of omissions of some verses
or transcriptions of others, give us a fairly reliable and comprehensive version of
the text.

The first printed version was published in August 1967 by Pandit Sadashiv
Rath Sharma through the Raghunandan Library in Puri. This version is said to be
based on two found manuscripts, one collected from Pandit Harihar Mishra of
Dharakote in Ganjam and the other (illustrated) from Kunjabihari Mohanty of
Kodala. The text includes all the three Khanda or sections, Nritya Khanda, Bhava
Khanda and Chanda Khanda.

The second printed version is the one published by Kalavikash Kendra, Cuttack
in 1999, translated and edited by Dhrendra Nath Pattnaik. The manuscript on
which this version is based seems to be the one which was exhibited in the National
Museum at Delhi in 1964. It includes only the Nrutya Khanda (284 verses).

ILEANA CITARISTI, an Italian by birth, holds a PhD in Psychoanalysis and Eastern Mythology.
Having worked in the traditional and experimental theatre in Europe, Ileana moved to India in 1979.
She trained in Odissi under Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and in Chhau under Guru Hari Nayak. A
renowned dancer, choreographer, guru, and scholar, Ileana has authored books on martial practices of
Odisha, and Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra among others. She has many awards and honours to her
credit including the Padma Shri. She lives in Bhubaneswar and teaches at her institute, Art Vision. She
is the guest editor of the special issue of Nartanam Vol XVIII no 3 on Jayantika.
 st
Date of Publication 1 of Every Quarter and R.N.I. No. APENG 2001/04294
th
Posted on 10 of Every Quarter