A purist loves experiments

Dona Ganguly, a well-known odissi dancer, was actually aiming to be a kathak dancer. "My mother encouraged me to learn dancing from a very young age. I was a student at Amala Shankar's dance school, learning kathak, odissi and  kathakali. When I was in the sixth standard, I think, I was to participate in a kathak workshop conducted by Pt Birju Maharaj in a well-known dance centre in Kolkata. But he couldn't come due to unforeseen circumstances. Instead came Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, the renowned odissi exponent. Once I saw him performing, something stirred inside me. I was hooked. Maybe I was meant for odissi, after all," she smiles.

There has not been any looking back since. Ganguly has performed widely at home and abroad, earning accolades. She attributes her development as a dancer to her background. "In Bengal, generally, the pursuit of some performing art or singing is encouraged; it's true of South India, too. There were regular soirees at our home, and I grew up listening to music, though I couldn't grasp its intricacies."

Once Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra took her under his wing, Ganguly regularly went to his ashram-style school in Bhubaneswar as an apprentice during school holidays. Her mother accompanied her every time. She feels that staying with a guru and in the  company of other students, is an important learning process. "It helps to observe the teacher at close quarters and correct one's mistakes while watching him correct others. And also to live under strict discipline as one of the students, no matter from what background you come from."

Later, Ganguly's (maiden) home in Behala became quite a hub with her guru and guru-ma (an accomplished dancer herself) coming to stay with them while in Kolkata. Renowned odissi dancers like Sanjukta Panigrahi, Protima Bedi, among others, also stayed in their house. "Observing them practise with such dedication, and to be surrounded by so much music, helped me to evolve."

Odissi originated as a temple dance in Odisha, but post 17th-century, a growing conservative societal attitude, particularly during the British colonial times, stamped it as a nautch dance and saw its decline. After Independence, as the emphasis on traditional performing arts saw a revival in the country, gurus like Deba Prasad Das, Mayadhar Raut, Pankaj Charan Das, Mahadev Rout, Raghu Dutta, and Kelucharan Mohapatra helped revive this beautiful dance form and re-establish its place as an Indian classical dance.

Of categories

There are mainly three styles in odissi - mahari, nartaki, and  gotipua.  Mahari  is in the  devadasi  tradition.  The  nartaki  tradition developed in the royal courts. Gotipua is performed by young boys dressed up as girls to enact female roles.

To become an artiste  requires dedication and purpose, Ganguly reiterates. "It's not easy for young people today. They are involved in many activities - studies, competition - to get into reputed institutions. But those who want to, still do it.

"Being focused is important." As a teacher, she knows that out of many students in her dance school Diksha Manjari, only a few would retain the interest and stamina to continue. "But even if a few retain the love for the dance and shine, it's a great feeling for me as a teacher," she says.

For Ganguly herself, it's not easy. Being a well-known dancer in her own right and also the  wife of famous cricketer and former captain of the Indian team, Sourav Ganguly, entails engagements and multifarious social commitments. But she maintains the discipline honed through the training under her guru  and continues living in the ashram-like ambience in Bhubaneswar to keep her core interest intact.

Asked if she believes in experimentation or wants to retain the pure form of a classical dance, Ganguly says, "It's all right if you do. But whatever you do, in the execution, the base must be correct."

She herself has choreographed numbers based on Rabindra Sangeet. "But I ensure that the movements are not deviated from the original. I mustn't misrepresent the classical odissi style. For example, a trivangi pose, integral to odissi style, must not look otherwise. That's true of all other classical dance forms, too."

As a person, Ganguly is simple and easy to get access to. Her own fame and the huge fan following of her husband do not seem to affect her. When you grow up in an atmosphere of art and culture, and in the company of greats, perhaps that's natural.