Dhauli Kalinga Mahotsav

Dhauli Kalinga Mahotsav celebrated its 22^nd year at Shanti Vihar, in the foothills of Dhauli at Bhubaneswar, from February 6 to 8. It was organised by the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department of the Government of Odisha and Orissa Dance Academy in association with Art Vision, and supported by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism, Government of Odisha.

On the opening day, Debamitra Sengupta—a disciple of Kelucharan Mohapatra—and her group from Kolkata's Mayur Lalit Dance Academy inaugurated the festival with the timely theme ‘Snehamayee Ganga’.

Snehamayee Ganga described the origin of the river Ganges as recounted in the Valmiki Ramayana and Brahma Purana—its course, the civilisations cradled on its banks from ancient times to the modern day, wherein the river is choking due to pollution. The simplified narrative ended on a hopeful note—the present generation pledged to protect the river and restore it to its pure and sublime state.

The concept, visualised by Debamitra Sengupta, scripted by Sakti Roy Chowdhury, and overseen by Nityananda Misra was noble. The presentation was challenging due to the vast theme.

Narrating the river's sublime beauty through the chiselled elegance of the Odissi form held the potential to make Snehamayee Ganga a production of eternal beauty. The vocabulary of this traditional Indian dance form is rich, capable of expressing everything through gestures and expressions without relying on external objects for spectacle. The music composition was rich.

The performers were Debamitra Sengupta, Ambika Roy, Poulami Nag, Rohini Yadav, Aditi Bose, Snigdha Majumder, Pragya Sen, Shreya Banerjee, Prateeti Mukhopadhyay, Aheli Mukherjee, Debasmita Mullick, Sheersha Banerjee, and Sumon Sengupta.

Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, Bhubaneswar, is a state-recognised institution under the administrative control of Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Its repertory members performed Sri Jagannath Astakam written by Adi Shankaracharya, which praised Lord Jagannath—the soul of Odia identity and culture. The Lord of the Universe was glorified in eight stanzas.

They followed it with the female deity Shakti — the active, dynamic energy of Shiva present in nature. Shakti personifies the energy that is creative, unique, and sustaining, yet can also be destructive. It was a pleasure to see the group of well-trained Odissi dancers enact the roles of Mahakali, Shyamangi, and Shyama Ghatitam—the purest, unmanifested energy whose whole body is the cosmos—or Jagadhatri, the goddess who is mother to the whole world. The Trideva—Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh—bow down to her in reverence.

To the music and rhythm compositions of Bijay Kumar Jena and Bijay Kumar Barik, and the dance choreography of guru Lingaraj Pradhan and Pankaj Kumar Pradhan, dancers Tanuj Kumar Panda, Sayta Prakash Mallick, Basistha Kumar Jena, Dipti Prakash Champati, Sampurna Indu Pani, Sanjana Gouda, Aeious Gunaprava, and Aradhana Dash unfolded the story of Shakti from the treasure house of Bharatvarsha’s mythology.

Kalipada Chhau Nritya Samity, led by Susanta Mahato, is a renowned Purulia Chhau organisation located in Haramajanga, Purulia District. Mahato is a Chhau dance expert with 27 years of experience, and has performed all over the country winning accolades.

At the Dhauli Kalinga Mahotsav, they performed Mahishasura Badha, which narrated the mythological battle between Goddess Durga and the demon king Mahishasura, who represented arrogance and evil. To restore cosmic balance, Goddess Durga emerged with divine strength and confronted him. Presented in the dynamic Purulia Chhau tradition, the performance featured powerful movements; the artists stomped, leaped, pounded, and somersaulted with ease despite wearing huge masks, along with dramatic masked expressions. The intense combat scenes highlighted bravery, energy, and rhythm. The dance-drama concluded with the slaying of Mahishasura, symbolising the eternal victory of good over evil and the restoration of peace.

Artists Susanta Mahato, Mantulal Rajwar, Asim Patar, Kartik Rajwar, Nitai Rajwar, Prabhas Mahato, Barun Mahato, Krishna Karmakar, Ghaltu Roy, Sahadeb Badyakar, Bibek Bouri, Jharu Gope, Goutam Mahato, and Sunil Roy brought this iconic dance form alive on stage. With dazzling, huge masks, they used their body language to tell the story of annihilation of evil, accompanied by folk melodies played on reed pipes, with drum beats keeping the rhythm.

Nichuapada Uttarsahi Chhau Nrutya Pratisthan, Mayurbhanj, Odisha’s Manamanthan explored the philosophy of Shadaripu—the six enemies of the mind that lead to human downfall. The piece was highly educative. The audience left with the knowledge that kama (desire), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), mada (ego), moha (attachment), and matsarya (jealousy) bind the soul to the cycle of birth and death, hindering spiritual liberation (moksha). These inner enemies—especially desire, anger, and greed—cause suffering and delusion, fuelling ego-driven actions and material attachment. A person enslaved by Shadaripu is dominated by destiny, but self-realisation loosens its grip, allowing control over one’s life. Experiencing and understanding these six enemies teaches the importance of love, divinity, and inner peace.

Dancers Haripada Mohanta, Pitambar Mohanta, Durga Charan Mohanta, Satyajit Tipiria, Bijay Kumar Bindhani, Ashok Baitha, Akshay Kumar Mohanta, Ajit Bindhani, Samir Bindhani, Girija Sankar Bindhani, Sanjay Bindhani, Bhabani Shankar Mohanta, Kailash Patra, Laltu Mohanta, Bechna Mohanta, Nageswar Si, Ashok Kumar Mohanta, Sachina Dhada, Kisan Ghadeistage practically schooled the rasikas in Shadaripu’s moral lesson through the language of Mayurbhanj Chhau. It relies solely on acrobatic and energetic movements coupled with circular jumps—especially its graceful gestures. 

Arupa Lahiry is a Bharatanatyam dancer, researcher, and art content strategist from Kolkata. She trained under the legendary guru Chitra Visweswaran at Chennai's Chidambaram Academy of Performing Arts and showcased Pravaha—a 30-minute presentation exploring the concept of flow, both physical and spiritual, through three pieces[G1] .

The first piece, Anjali (in Hamsadhwani raga and Adi talam; a composition by R. Visweswaran), depicted the movement of water. It was followed by a kavutvam dedicated to the river Ganga—a composition by Chitra Visweswaran that captured the joyous euphoria a devotee would feel upon witnessing this mighty river.

The second piece, Meenakshi Pancharatnam, was Arupa's own choreography set to a composition by Adi Shankaracharya in ragamalika by Sudha Raghuraman. The first stanza celebrated the brilliance of Devi as Meenakshi enshrined in Madurai: from one eye flows grace that creates, while the other is fierce and destroys all negativity. The second stanza showed her dancing feet and tinkling anklets, that attracted devotees in search of her.

The third stanza portrayed Devi as ‘Shiva vama Bhaga nilaya’ (Ardhanarishwara) and Bindu Swarupini. In the sanchari, Arupa visualised Devi as rising kulakundalini who united with Shiva. She also embodies myriad forms—Bhavani, Bhairavi, Dakshineshwari, Simhasaneswari, Kamakshi, and Kali—dancing all around us. These forms merge and split, creating the flow of maya that forms the universe.

The fourth and fifth stanzas depicted Devi as prayed to by the gods, and merged in her as Nada Swarupini—the struck (ahat) and unstruck (anahat) sound. The devotee finally realises divinity is not separate; the body becomes the temple, with the heartbeat as the divine bell.

The performers—Arupa Lahiry herself, along with Soma Mondal, Deedhita Singha, Sangita Banerjee, Mayuri Shom, Atasi Karmakar, Shradhasree Brahmo, and Nilay Mandal—hailing from different banis, executed the piece remarkably well. The story of Devi Meenakshi was illuminated by light designer Milind Srivastava.

Souvik Chakraborty and his group Nrityadisha from Kolkata presented Raag Sang Ragini to the rasikas at Dhauli—concept and choreography by Souvik.

In his presentation, sound was not merely heard—it was lived, breathed, and related as per the norms of Indian classical music. A raag is traditionally envisioned as masculine energy: structured, profound, and commanding in its presence. A ragini, its feminine counterpart, embodies grace, fluidity, and emotional nuance. In the piece, each held its own identity, mood, and expression.

When raag and ragini came together, they conversed. Their union was a meeting of strength and softness, discipline and adornment. The raag laid the foundation, defined the melodic framework, while the ragini wove emotion into it, and embellished the form with tenderness and colour. There was a harmonious blend wherein melody became complete. Purusha and Prakriti, Shiva and Shakti coexisted in musical form. It resulted in rich, deep, and more resonant form that evoked stability and sensuality, intellect and emotion.

Set in taal Ek taal, this number was enriched with many compositions from the Kathak repertoire performed by Souvik Chakraborty's disciples: Sayeri Ghosh, Poulami Basak, Aadita Sinha, Priyanka Paul, Tiyasha Dey, Sucharita Pal, Sharanya Rana, and Souvik Chakraborty himself. He is a renowned Kathak dancer and disciple of Birju Maharaj and other stalwarts. They made the day for the connoisseurs with their polished and perfect rendition of the chosen pieces.

Darbari, set in Teen taal and raga Darbari, was enriched with many compositions like ladi, tehai, paran, and tukda from the Kathak repertoire.

Patha Rajapatha by Orissa Dance Academy (ODA), Bhubaneswar, was a fusion of classical, folk, and contemporary styles.

Founded in 1975 by guru Gangadhar Pradhan, ODA teaches and promotes (in India and abroad) Odissi dance, music, and related arts. The academy is now led by guru Dr. Aruna Mohanty, a distinguished dancer and choreographer.

Patha Rajapatha was a journey through India’s timeless spirit of creation—from the chisels that shaped temples to the hands that built cities and highways. It traced the evolution of art and architecture from the tribal rhythms of Nilamadhava and the divine craftsmanship of Vishwakarma to the Dravida, Nagara, and Kalinga styles that made India’s temples centers of culture and inspiration. The narrative honoured the true architects of civilisation: rivers, land, and people, whose labour and vision connect communities across time.

The performance culminated in ‘Vibiddha Varna—A Grand Celebration of India’s Artistic Legacy.

ODA’s artistic director Aruna Mohanty’s concept was scripted by Kedar Misra.

Bharatanatyam guru Anitha Guha and Kathak exponent Gauri Divakar’s contributions helped make the mega production a composite whole. A galaxy of musical talents enriched the grand presentation.

Dancers Shreepunya, Sandhya, Sayani, Suprava, Abhipsita, Srutilekha, Nibedita, Tanisha, Swananda, Akankshya, Ritika, Ayushi, Pragyan, Ananya, Satyabhama, Monali, Sangeeta, Swati, Jyotirmayee, Swagatika, Madhusmita, Amrutalagna, Sulagna, Simran, Shibani, Omm Rani, Shomiya, Vabya, Roop Ratan, Archeeta, Saishree, Sayoni, Shraddha, Manisikha, Nidhyati, Aradhya, Saanvi, Sanaya, Aadyasha, Chinmay, Diptiranjan, Himansu, Shubham, Bhimsen, Binayak, Chintamani, Biswajit, Abhiram, Purnendu, Umashankar, Subrat, Aman, and Ratikanta were in top form. They romped across the stage in guru Gangadhar Pradhan's style of Odissi, which has been greatly enriched by his ace disciple Aruna Mohanty. 

The piece dazzled. In short, Patha Rajapatha was a study in anthropology.

Belraj Soni and his group from the Navaneetham Cultural Trust in Thrissur, Kerala, presented Sita in Kalaripayattu.

Belraj Soni, the group's leader, is an accomplished Kalaripayattu artist, performer, and trainer with over 37 years of experience. He trained under Sankara Narayana Menon Gurukkal and Sri Chundayil Viswanathan Gurukkal. As founder and director of Navaneetham Cultural Trust, he has promoted and preserved this ancient martial art form.

The story of Sita from the Ramayana had been reinterpreted through a contemporary lens by Belraj Soni. In the narration, he visualised the childless Queen Sunaina of Mithila, who discovered a baby beneath the wings of a vulture on Mother Earth. Sunaina named her Sita. She would become the princess of Mithila. Samichi, a girl from the slums, befriended her and became her trusted confidant.  Soni placed these girls under the mentorship of their guru Jatayu. He trained them in martial arts and philosophy for worldly affairs.

Soni’s Sita would be a case study in women’s empowerment. Mithila flourished under Sita’s rule, and she appointed Samichi as commander of the army.

Ravana, the ruler of Lanka, entered Mithila drawn by tales of its rising young queen. There, he encountered Samichi—his adopted daughter. Rama broke the sacred bow Thryambakam and wedded Sita at Mithila. But Ravana confronted Sita during the wedding festivities. In the fight, Rama broke the code of Dharma Yuddha and thus, Rama and Sita chose exile—vanavasa.

In the same forest, dwelled the all-powerful woman Shurpanakha. Smitten by Rama, she transformed to Lalitha and approached him only to be stopped by Sita. In the fierce encounter that followed, Shurpanakha was wounded.

Enraged and humiliated, Shurpanakha sought her brother Ravana’s help. Fuelled by vengeance, Ravana forces entered the forest and defeated Jatayu. They attacked Samichi and Sita when they were performing Jatayu’s last rites. Thereafter, Ravana abducted Sita to Lanka.

In Lanka, Sita defeated Ravana in a climactic battle. Samichi stopped Sita when she was ready to kill Ravana with her final blow. Betrayed, Sita struck Samichi instead.  Sita would continue her journey. Sita was a reimagined epic brought to life through the powerful language of movement, merging martial arts, traditional dance, and theatre.

Bharatanatyam artist Rutuja Mairn; Sujith K.S., Kalamandalam Ashik (Kathakali artist); Vinita Venugopal (Kathak artist); Prajil Kumar and Dilna Sreedhar (Kalaripayattu artists); Kalamandalam Krishna (Mohiniyattam artist); Shymon Chelad (light designer); and Belraj Soni came together to tell us: What if Sita was not the docile being of the Ramayana?

The theme was endearing—especially to the younger generation, who are not happy with the ‘pativrata’ Sita. She is the new age Sita who is powerful and opinionated.