Report by Saumya Parida, Bhubaneswar: The second evening of the contemporary dance festival featured “Sankalan” a compilation of the latest choreographic work of the STEM Dance Kampni, Bangalore, choreographed and directed by Madhu Nataraj, the famous dancer and choreographer. This captures and radiates the various nuances connected to the term Vajra. Vajra, as the diamond, lightning and a weapon which lead to indestructibility, power, brilliance, the strong human spirit. The dancers were Jawardhar Raj Kumars, Punnam Devaich, Keerth Kumar, Roopa Murthy, Reshmi Nair and Nikhil Power apart from Madhu Natraj herself.

This was followed by  Amritasya Putra an item depicting the Panchatattwa of nature (Five divine elements) choreographed and directed by internationally acclaimed dancer choreographer and daughter of Uday and Amala Shankar. In another sequence she has described the world, a stage and the human beings as different characters to portary different positive and negative qualities. This includes love i.e. mother’s selflessness, and ever-caring love i.e. desire, innocence lust, greed, desire and ego, breeding hatred, jealousy, anger and violence. At the end, all we are left with is pain, suffering and sorrow. It is then, out of repentance, our inner search begins for the ultimate truth and someday we realize that, we all are a spark of that Divinity, we all are Amritasya Putra.

Earlier in the morning noted art editor and critic Dr. Sadananda Menon delivered a talk on the contemporary dance its history, evolution in the context of India in the auditorium of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, Bhubaneswar before a gathering of scholars, dancers, art critics, etc.

The dignitaries who graced the occasion were Shri Prafulla Samal, Hon’ble Minister, Tourism & Culture, Shri Ashok Kumar Tripathy, IAS, Principal Secrertary, Tourism & Culture, Shri Sushil Kumar Das, Director, Culture, Guru Ramhari Das, Chief Executive, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre, Shri Sarat Pujari, President, OSNA, Smt. Aruna Mohanty, Vice President, OSNA and Shri Chitta Ranjan Mallia, Secretary, OSNA.