Posts filed under ‘Kosli dance’
‘Rangabati’ music composer Prabhudatta Pradhan passes away
Following is a report from the TOI:
Music composer of popular Sambalpuri song Rangabati, Prabhudatta Pradhan, today passed away at his residence in Odisha following prolonged illness, family sources said.
Active in the field of music for 45 years, Pradhan had popularised Sambalpuri music and had bagged 14 prestigious awards for his contribution in the field of Samabalpuri music.
He had expertise in percussion instruments like ‘Dhol’ and ‘Mandal’.
The Rangabati song which earned him fame in 1975, was written by Mitrabhanu Gountia and sung by Jitendra Haripal and Krishna Patel.
Born in 1943, Prabhudatta started learning music under his father at the age of three. He was influenced by his father late Pravas Chandra Pradhan to sing bhajans or Hindu religious songs at home even though they were Christians. Pradhan learnt tabla from Pandit Jadunath Supkar at Benaras in Uttar Pradesh. He had joined the All India Radio (AIR), Sambalpur station as an instrumentalist in 1969.
Jitendra Haripal, an artiste par excellence
Following is a report from the TNIE:
SAMBALPUR: Jitendra Haripal, the voice behind ‘Rangabati’, had never hoped for a Padma Award. A Dalit with no formal training in music who took to singing out of passion, he hopes the recognition might help him change his financial condition.
It was ‘Rangabati’, which took him to the zenith of popularity in the mid-70s. The song was recorded by All India Radio, Sambalpur in 1975-76 for Surmalika special programme and re-recorded (Disc) later on in Indian Record Company (INERCO), Kolkata in 1978-79. So far, he has sung in over 1,000 Koshali and Sambalpuri songs.
Even today, his voice continues to create euphoria among crowd whenever he sings at functions.
His first song recorded and broadcast was ‘Bhalu Palala Patarake’ followed by ‘Hai Kustan Hai Kustan’, ‘Mandal Bajila’, ‘Lenjera Ghanti Delana’ and many more such songs but it was ‘Ranagabati’ which made him popular.
However, his struggle for existence continues till date with one of his son, Paras driving an auto rickshaw to support their big family while he had lost another son, Pratap, who worked as a daily wager and fell to death at a construction site. Haripal has been bestowed with many awards including the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2001, Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) by Utkal University of Culture, Bhubaneswar, in 2015 for his unparalleled contribution to folk music.
Haripal got the news of his being chosen for Padma Shri Award from this paper while returning to Sambalpur from Panchmahalla in Ulunda block of Sonepur district.
Eminent danseuse Gurubari Mirdha passes away
Following is a report from the Pioneer:
Because she took birth on Gurubar (Thursday), parents kept her name Gurubari, which is a practice people follow in most part of the State. And, finally she also breathed her last on a Thursday.
Gurubari Mirdha from a nondescript village in Bargarh district left a void as she passed away recently with people of the State, particularly art connoisseurs, still remembering her sterling performance as a noted Sambalpuri and Dalkhai dancer. She had tremendous contribution to popularize Sambalpuri and Dalkhai dance in the country and singularly she was enough to keep the audience spell bound for hours together through the beats of her feet. Not irrelevant to mention that she even made former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to dance on the stage with her as Gandhi as an audience could not help it before the enthralling dance Gurubari was performing in Delhi.
But with so much talent in her, she was unable to cash in on it for her financial security. Almost during her entire life period, she was living a very miserable life. As a BPL person, she had been allotted an Indira Awas, but that she couldn’t be completed as yet.
In the year, 1987, an Odia vernacular daily carried a detail story about her poverty that drew the attention of the people abroad. And, moved by the report, Odia artist from Sweden PK Mahanadia wrote a letter to Surendra Hota of Bargarh expressing his willingness to help her financially. But at that time Gurubari couldn’t be traced as she went out of the State as a Dadan Shramik (migrant labourer) to another State.
“Think the fate of a versatile dancer opting to work as a Dadan Shramik with whom the Prime Minister of India had once danced. This is also fate of many people in Odisha who came in direct contact with many dignitaries, but remain poor forever. The case of Fanus Punji of Kalahandi is another bright example,” said Sureswar Satapathy, an elite citizen of Bargarh.
Under her guidance, a college teacher in Bargarh wrote a short play entitled ‘Lekri’ (torn up clothes ) that narrated the poverty of the versatile lady artist. The play depicts how all prizes, medals, felicitations and citations etc were meaningless for her and she needed money for survival that nobody gave her. But that drama couldn’t be staged as yet although it was completed when Gurubari lived.
“Till end of her life, a small pension from the Government and mercy of the villagers was the main source of her livelihood,” said her villagers.
Dance and music of western Odisha
Following is a report from the Hindu:
Odisha Tourism recently organised “Rangabati”, a festival of dance and music of western Odisha. The name was drawn from the folk song sung by Jitendriya Haripal and Krishna Patel in the late 70s. That it still continues to catch the imagination of the young and the old alike was on full display at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneshwar.
Each of the three days of the festival invited five troupes to perform music and dance typical to Western Odisha. Dukhisyam Triparty sang solo to open the festival. The bhajan ‘Bulibuli Singh duare kandibo banamali suno bhai’, entreating Lord Jagannath to show mercy, followed by ‘Harinam Pan Karo pujuta dhako dhako harinam ke’ and ‘Bhavasindhu se khaditi logoi de mobhela’ was effective in arousing bhakti. Dilip Kumar Bag who took Sambalpuri music to great heights, is possessed with a wonderful singing voice with an incredible range. The song “Udogo Ma Dhawal mukhi, dhumal Barani ”is a song on Durga and it was sung with zest. The duet song ‘Kalabati Morkala kajuri’ sung by the couple Dilip Kumar Bag and Padmini Bag was romantic in nature.
The presentation of Maa Samaleswari Daliakhusa Kala Parishad was colourful and the performers consisting of two women dancers, accompanied by seven instrumentalists, in an intricate rhythm pattern was vigorous and enchanting. The folk instruments played were dhol, madal, nishan, tasa, pakhawaj, bansi, bir-kahali, gini, ektara, muhuri, ghulgula, ghunguru, and jhanj, punctuated by mnemonic syllables. Karam Sani nritya was performed by boys and girls of Pancham Bolangir. Karma is the most colourful dance of the district. It is a tribal dance in honour of “Karam Sani”, the deity who grants children, as they believe. In the beginning the dancers entered the dancing arena in two rows. The drummers and the singers accompanied the dancers with rhythmic steps. Humo is a dance showing young girls at play. The group sang and danced to verses that have come down from ancient times. They danced gleefully in slow rhythm and the audience got a brief glimpse of their happy moments, before they would be married off.
Mahuri Kala Parishad, Rourkela concluded the day’s programme with ‘Panchadeva Bandana’. The second day’s evening started with the solo singer of Padmini Dora, who commenced with ‘Are babu Shyam Ghana tugale’ accompanied by dhol, tasa, tabla and tar shehnai. The second presentation was Sambalpuri Geetmala of folk music. Her song was a combination of about six folk songs. Radha hears Krishna playing the mohan bina and her heart is in turmoil. The song became even more beautiful, with her dancing steps she used while singing. The third number was amazingly contemporary, where Sucharita Misra danced as Padmini sang ‘Gharoro mouli’ – do not trample the jasmine under your feet. Anyone who wants to pluck the flower does it. It was a metaphorical statement appealing to the good senses of the people to respect the rights of women.
Jitetdriya Haripal is a name to reckon with in the music of Sambalpur. His song ‘Bar deuli pathar khasri’ is the cry of a bhakta of lord Jagannath and his strange way of expecting salvation. The other two songs ‘moulodhare barasilopani’ and ‘Pokhano upane dharana pani’ were romantic in nature. Ranga Ferua Sambalpur was the third artist of the evening. He sang a duet song with his wife Parvati where she pleads with him to give up drinking. The song provided comic relief to the audience.
Mahabir Snskrutika Anusthan, Bhawanipatna showcased Baja Sal and Singh played during marriage ceremony. It was a rich fare of young men and women coming in a procession and rendering their vigorous and joyful dance.
‘Dholo pare parebajare bajania’ entreats the dholakia to play the drum so that dance can be rendered. This song, and the song where a girl, who has a thorn stuck to her feet entreating her companions to remove it, gave the audience a glimpse of the day to day simple happenings of village folks. They rounded off their short programme with a ‘Dalkhaire’.
The celebrated singer Krishna Patel was the audience’s choice. She, therefore, sang for a long time, singing three solo songs-‘Dholi dholi asche kunjo banu kalia kanu’ – describing the coming of Lord Jagannath from the garden of flowers, ‘Mon jamunar kule’, a romantic song in jhumur tune and a ceremonial folk song ‘Raserkeli chata orapadhai’. She sang in a high pitched clear voice much to the liking of the audience.
Pankaja Kumar Jala was all bhakti with his song ‘Tomoro pade saranna gali’ asking round eyed Jagannath’s protection. Then he prayed to Ma Samala through the medium of dance. His third song was a ‘Dhap’, an ancient custom of Kanda – adivasi – Samaj. His last song – a Bauni – was a sad song lamenting the loss of his beloved. Radharani Sanskrutika Sansad, Bolangir presented a tasteful blend of dhol, nishan, mahuri, tasha, tamka and jhanj. Their songs cover every aspect of human life – divine life, social life, economic life and cultural life.
Ukia Sambalpur, under the able leadership of Ranjan Kumar Sahu came with his basket of all the traditional folk dances in a combined form. The folk dances like the Karama dance performed on the festive occasion of Bhardrav Ekadashi (August/September) is a ritual followed. Besides Karama, they danced Humanan, Parva, Dalkhai, Dhap, Nua Khai, Mailajada as well as other forms. Parva or Shiva tandava is a part of danda nritya. It is a tribal dance performed during Chaitra.
Sambalpur Kala Parishad did a kind of sawal-jawab with the drummers with a variety of steps rendered in high speed. Through dance they displayed the rituals of fasting during the seventh day of Dussehra and breaking of the fast on the eighth day, before boys and girls socialise and break into joyful dance.
Binod Pasayat juggles pen and scissors with aplomb
SAMBALPUR: He is the recipient of Sarala Samman in 2008. Odisha Sahitya Academy felicitated him in 2010 for his contribution to the field of literature. But 83-year-old renowned litterateur and lyricist Binod Pasayat never fails to open his barber shop every morning.
“This is my bread and butter and literature is my hobby. So I maintain an equilibrium between my two professions,” smiles the octogenarian, who has numerous prestigious awards and citations to his credit. The writer of several plays and songs, considered an important figure in the history of Sambalpuri language, has no other source of income apart from his inherited profession.
Born in the year 1935 in Balangir town, Pasayat had to drop out of school after Class VIII to help his father in their ancestral profession because of their poor financial condition. Though he could not complete his studies, his passion for literature led him to shift his workplace to Sambalpur in 1953. “I came in contact with Murari Prasad Mishra, a renowned cultural figure of Sambalpur, and with his encouragement and support I started my literary career in Sambalpur,” recalls Pasayat. “But it was famous musician Arun Prasanna Seth who gave a new shape to my songs and I created one Sambalpuri song after another,” he reminisces.
However, it was Pasayat’s famous Sambalpuri play ‘Mui Nai Mare’ (I will never die) that brought him fame. In the play, the actor playing Ravan, the demon king of Lanka, refused to die at the hands of Ram because his wife suggested him not to die this time. Everyone, including the director tried a lot to persuade him to die, but he was rigid not to die this time. The play was a hit and Pasayat’s work was appreciated by one and all.
“The government should recognize his contribution by providing him a pension as a mark of respect to the artist,” says retired teacher and educationist Laxmikant Mishra.
Kosal Discussion and Development Forum 