| Sinuous forms, supple
limbs and rapt expressions frozen in temple stone tell
of an ancient dance performed in Orissa as far back as
the 2nd century BC in sacred ritual to the gods. Later,
the devadasis – or Maharis – were given in
service to Jagannatha, the Lord of the Universe. Jayadeva’s
Gita Govinda of the 12th century enriched this tradition
greatly, and spread rapidly throughout the country. The
intolerance of invader rulers, however, marked the end
of the tradition of the Maharis – a word possibly
derived from maha (great) nari (woman), or the Chosen
One. Vaishnava followers, meanwhile, patronised boy dancers
– the Gotipuas who, dressed as females, began performing
in public places. Restructured and resurgent, Odissi,
today, derives from these as well as the sculpture and
manuscript traditions. Its movements continue to reflect
the motifs of the temple architecture of Orissa. It captures
the rhythms, melodies and poetry taken from the vast canon
of Oriya as well as Sanskrit literature.
Bindu Juneja’s love for dance was inculcated
by her parents who had a keen awareness for the arts
and encouraged her to take it up as a life pursuit.
Her initiation into the world of dance was through Bharatanatyam
at the Bhatkhande Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, Lucknow. She
was, later, drawn to Odissi and learnt from the leading
exponent of the form Madhavi Mudgal. Living in close
proximity with her guru, Bindu imbibed the deeper nuances
of the latter’s art, besides also receiving guidance
from Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Bindu has been composing
for the past nearly two decades. Her serendipitous meeting
with Meera Rao, a senior musician and composer, made
it possible for her to produce a sizeable body of her
own work. Marriage to a flautist husband gave her the
nurturing environment of music so essential to dance.
Bindu embodies in her dance the flowing seamlessness
of Odissi. Her sensitivity towards allied arts, such
as music, painting and textile, has shaped her aesthetic
in dance. Search for a richer vocabulary for Odissi
drew her towards older and highly stylised forms such
as Kathakali as also Mohiniattam. Living in Bhopal in
the very heart of India has brought her into intimate
contact with the living cultural traditions of the region
that have deeply influenced her work. Bindu’s
performances in both India and abroad have brought her
much appreciation for the grace and virtuosity she brings
to her dance. Among her performing milestones are her
recitals in the temple of Maheshwar, at Rashtrapati
Bhavan for US President Obama, the Khajuraho Festival
and the IIC Experience 2009. An empanelled artiste of
the ICCR and Grade ‘A’ artiste of Doordarshan,
Bindu currently also trains students in Bhopal.
Two of her students and nieces, Kalyani and Vaidehi
Phagre, share the stage with her in Narmada Parikrama.
Bindu has mentored them since their childhood. Kalyani,
the elder of the two, has now started giving solo performances
and is actively involved in Sanskrit theatre.
Presentation -
The dance Narmada Parikrama attempts to render the beauty
and grandeur of Narmada as an aesthetic reflection of
the actual parikrama of one of the oldest of the sacred
Indian rivers. It is the only river in the world which
has a tradition of ritual circumambulation – parikrama
– through its entire length of over 1300 km. Narmada
descends from Amarkantak in the Vindhyas, gushing forth
across mountains and forests, nurturing a rich civilisation
and culture along its banks. Flanked by the Satpura
and Vindhya ranges all along its hilly course, it arrives
at the Gujarat plains at the very end of its journey,
where it merges silently into the ocean. As one’s
steps unfold newer aspects of the river, so too, in
dance, do the following facets find address:
1. The divine origin of the river;
2. Through its boons, Oneness with all nature, as reflected
in folk thought and culture;
3. The undulatory peregrinations of the river in often
changing moods;
4. The grandeur at Sahasradhara, the waterfall where
Narmada weaves a magical fabric with its myriad delicate
streams;
5. The deep reverence for the river, as depicted in
Adi Shankara’s Narmadashtakam, the stotra recited
during the parikrama.
Artistes’ Credits
Concept Advisor and Composition of Lyrics: (Rewa ke
teer, Sohe dhara) Ajita Trivedi
Music: Meera V. Rao, Abhay Phagre
Co-dancers: Kalyani Phagre, Vaidehi Phagre
Narration: Bhavana Pankaj
Accompanists:
Pakhawaj and Manjeera – Prashant Maharana
Vocal – Pt. Raghunandan Panshikar
Flute – Abhay Phagre
Sitar – Saeed Zafar Khan
Santoor – Satyendra Solanki
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