By Somnath Pal

Manasija organized an Odissi dance program called ‘Anandam’ held at Triveni Kala Sangam. The program featured a solo Odissi dance performance by child artist Srishti Debroy. 

Srishti Debroy has been learning Odissi since she was three from her mother Arunima Ghosh. When Srishti started to talk, she would try to speak the syllables of Odissi. She is absolutely fond of Odissi dance which in turn absorbs her more and more into mythological stories and learning the Sanskrit language. Srishti is also learning Hindustani classical vocal and classical ballet. 

Srishti  began her performance with Mangalacharan Ganesh Vandana, salutation to Lord Ganesha. This special piece was also our tribute to Pandit Birju Maharaj. This was followed by Batu Nritya, an item of pure nritta or dance and remains the most difficult item of Odissi. Next was Madhurashtakam and was a Sanskrit composition in devotion of Lord Krishna, composed by the Hindu Bhakti philosopher-poet Sripad Vallabha Acharya. Srishti’s next performance was Dashavatar – the story of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu during the four ages of Satya, Treta, Dwapara, and Kalki. The final piece was the Varsha Varnananam.

The aim of this program is to spread more awareness on the rich heritage of Odissi dance and other art forms. The organisation is the brainchild of Smt. Arunima Ghosh. Through its platform the founder seeks to provide a way to disseminate knowledge about culture symbolism and traditional practices, sensitizing society on the whole and today’s young generations and the organization will conduct more such events that will help people appreciate Indian classical dance forms better.

Smt. Arunima Ghosh says “I named the program Anandam which is not just a name or concept. I believe happiness should be there whether someone is learning inside the class or performing on stage ” she also added, “It’s a flow between performer and audience. Whenever we have organised a program, I have seen kids or young people to be inspired by the performance. Which has driven them to learn or know more about the art form”.