Going on a huge tray in Odisha

A village on the outskirts of Mayurbhanj in Odisha, plastic chairs and string cots are very neatly arranged in a semi-cycle under a umbrella of trees in an innocent roast. You can hear the sound of practicing people who give the bump, because young men and women get ready for a performance. The audience gradually fills space. As soon as the drums raise speed, the Mayurbhanj Chhao dancers take the center, and their dynamic movements are filled with the surrounding energy and the verge. They also encourage the audience to learn some steps. However, copying their perfection and power is a fruitless effort.

The rehearsal to see these dancers proves to be an important part of a type of scar, which to search and engage in a martial, tribal and folk dance form. In April this year, Belladia Palace hosted three -day festivals in Mayurbhanj in collaboration with Audi Nad, which brought three separate styles of this dance together – Mayurbhanj Chhao which originates from the same area, which is born from West Bengal, and the stille with stubbornness.

There is a lot that is unique to each style of Chhao, we feel soon. On a Balmi evening, a troupe of Purulia Chhao dancers, wearing bright yellow, orange, green and black clothes, masks and wide headgier brings the story of Durga and Mahishasura alive in the grounds of Belgadia Palace. The dancers jump easily and somarasoult, despite heavy costumes and masks, leave us in the astonishment of their sharp, nifty movements.

Colorful masks, headgars and bright costumes are the character of Purulia Chhau from West Bengal. Photo Credit: S Garibwaja

The etymology of the word Chhau is probably the meaning of sterilization or military barrack, where the dance was considered a dance originating from the soldiers of the leg practicing these movements. Looking at the dancers, a fierce battle was depicted between Durga and Mahishasura, the martial effects are more pronounced by their way of moving.

When we look at Serakela Chhau, there is a peace and grace that we immediately notice about this style. The costumes and masks are colorful, but more silence than compared, and the story we are seeing is of the dancers who are trying to court Krishna. The beating of clarinet drums and soft strains increased Sriingra juice.

The dancers caught the mask worn during a Serakela Chhao performance: S Garibwaja

Sanjay Kumar Karmakar says, “Most of us are generational artists and we start learning when most children are introduced to the alphabet,” says Sanjay Kumar Karmakar, who was four years old. He pointed to the mask with elegant manufactured eyes and says that they are not props. “Each mask is different, and helps catch the feeling that represents the character we played. We can wear a mask, but through our dance, we become the character we are portraying,” they say.

While our introduction to Mayurbhanj Chhau is in a desperate brush, when we see the rehearsal of the dancers, nothing can prepare us for the spectacle that we see later on stage. Performed without a mask, the dancers rotated around the stage in the silks, turban and in their hands, as they survive Abhimanyu’s story from Mahabharata. Courage, valor, the fierceness of a fierce fight, and the final disadvantage that is all alive on the stage. The intensive energy of athletic dancers ever sees emotions in the story once they are painting; When Abhimanu dies, the silence of a fate falls on the audience.

Performance on a mayurbanj chou | Photo Credit: S Garibwaja

Subhasri Mukherjee, the chief coordinator of Project Chhuni, a local organization, who is working to preserve and create awareness about Chhau, says that there are about 202 socio-cultural organizations and groups of dancers that are spread over Mayabhanj. “We worked on identifying the dancers, recording different chou dance items and documenting basic techniques and training,” she says. There is a lot that has changed in years; Many of the dancers we see in three styles of Chha work as laborers or daily wages, which are finally found. However, they say that they bring special pleasure.

“We have also worked on the installation of a fair revenue model, where fees go directly to them from any performance. We are also curious that they are employable and resourceful, and with tension on skill development -to ensure that they are able to support themselves while practicing their art,” the Subhashri said.

Chhau Chaitra is an integral part of Parva or marks the month of Chaitra (April) in Odisha. With the increasing requirement of reduced the number of dancers with each passing generation and protection for dance form, there is a continuous demand to identify Chhau as one of India’s classical art forms. In 2010, Chhao was inscribed in the representative list of UNESCO’s abstract cultural heritage.

“Mayurbhanj Chhau speaks of the strength and spirit of Mayurbhanj,” says Mrinlaika Bhanjadeo, belonging to the East royal family of Mrhibarnaz. “Our vision is to use our ancestral home, Belgadia Palace, not only as a platform to preserve and promote art, but also make it an experience through a host of the initiative,” she says. For guests like us, who visit Belgadia Palace, Chhau performs a significant part of the journey program throughout the year.

It is 8 o’clock at night, the sky becomes dark and the dancers take the stage for the final performance. As the audience looks closely, you find out that the dance form calls for a strong sense of the community and pride in someone’s cultural history. It brings people together to nourish it and keep it prosperous.

The author was in Belgaadia Palace, Mayurbhanj at the invitation of rare India.