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ISSN 2455-7250 Vol. XIX No. 3 July-September 2019: A Quarterly Journal of Indian Dance
ISSN 2455-7250 Vol. XIX No. 3 July-September 2019: A Quarterly Journal of Indian Dance
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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
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
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
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.
DHARMESWAR DUARAH is an expert who has extensively studied the Dimasa Kacharis of
Assam.
74 Nartanam
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 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.
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
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
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