At the age of four, Odissi dancer Bijayalaxmi Mohanty became the the first girl to perform the difficult Bandhya Nritya (involving jelly like postures and acrobatic skills). She was immediately noticed and performed in various festivals within and outside India. Ill health and family responsibilities pushed the dancer from Puri to gradually go into oblivion. Now a subject teacher in a central school, Bijayalaxmi, however, came into limelight with the conferring of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2012. Recently, she was also conferred the Guru Debaprasad Das Award for Odissi 2014 organised by her Guru’s institution Tridhara in Bhubaneswar. The dancer performed at the three-day festival after a gap of 15 years. In an interview here, she reminisces her trajectory in dance. Excerpts:
How did you come into learning Bandhya Nritya?
My father, late Nabakishore Mohanty, was an actor and an artist, not a professional though. He must have noticed some artistic qualities in me and wanted that I should learn dance. So I was sent to Guru Sudhakar Sahoo and Guru Debaprasad Das. Guru Sudhakar Sahoo taught me Bandhya. I was hardly three years when my father on his advice, used to massage my spinal chord and the limbs with oil and after that they used to bend me like a semi circle. Bandhya had to be started from a tender age for the body to be flexible. With the guidance of Sahoo and Deba Sir, I used to practise with my father. That was one item of Odissi. I also learnt the other items like mangalacharan, sthyai, pallavi , abhinaya, etc.
Abhinaya at that age?
Yes! I was hardly four when I gave my first Odissi performance on stage. I used to do a full 1 and a half hours programme at that time and also performed Sambalpuri folk dances many times with both my Gurus. At that age, I had learnt all the items and performed in festivals.
How long did you learn?
I continued against all odds. I lost my father when I was hardly 14 or 15 but even then I struggled hard. I was the eldest and the only supporting member of my family of five. I continued regularly till my marriage in 1985.After that I did perform but not regularly. After 1990, due to health problems, I had to stop. Actually, one cannot perform Bandhya after one is grown up. Dance critics like Jeevananada Pani and others asked me to stop but I didn’t listen to them. It was a passion for me and didn’t bother about myself even when the doctor said that my heart was being affected by it. Its like pranayam. You have to do Hata by holding your breath and at that point the breathing might stop. On knowing this, my Guru and my mother made me promise that I would never perform Bandhya again.
Till when did you perform Bandhya?
Till I was 17. In 1975, I had been to Paris to represent our country in the International Dance Festival as the youngest artist and also on an Europe tour. Again, I was sent by the Government of India to France and Europe to perform Bandhya .After returning from the Europe tour in 1979, I had problems but still kept on requesting my Guru to let me try till I feel I just couldn’t. But around the ’80s, I was compelled to stop Bandhya. I continued Odissi but as a performing artiste I didn’t appear on stage after 1990. In between, once in two- three years, I did perform but for the last 15 years, there was a total break from the stage. Though I was not seen on stage, many dance research scholars and Gurus come to me to consult anything they needed to do.
Were you the first girl to perform Bandhya?
Earlier, Gotipuas used to do Bandhya. Their style and gharanas were different and were not really regarded as Odissi. Guru Debaprasad Das was the first to introduce Bandhya in Odissi through me. This was a real experiment and introduction to Odissi repertoire and I was the first disciple.
Did you teach?
I was never a dance teacher nor had a school.
Didn’t the SNA Award in 2012 come as a surprise to you?
Yes. I was surprised that after giving about 30 years of dedicated service to Odissi, they had forgotten me for so many years! But Kaaliya Jagannath (Lord Jagannath of Puri) made them think of me. I was extremely excited and happy. Considering the extent of my contribution in spreading the Debaprasad style and the speciality of Bandhya Nrittya to Odissi, people thought that I should have got the award earlier.
What about the Guru Debaprasad Award?
I remembered my Guruji so much that I thought it was his desire perhaps that I get the award and perform in his award ceremony.
What is the speciality of your Guru’s style?
Debaprasad Das’ style is different from other Odissi styles because he was a traditionalist, a purist and abhiinaya was his life. Abhinaya was Guruji’s speciality and it used to touch everyone. But he loved pure dance too. Before choreographing a piece, he would research thoroughly and study deeply the background of the composition. His teaching style was unique too.
In what way?
I am narrating my experience. After explaining the meaning of the composition, he used to teach only pure expressions. He believed that the song has to be set to pure abhinaya. There should not be a piece of pure dance in between and start another stanza after a tihai as the Bhava rasa gets disturbed. His principle was that the pallavi and the abhinaya had to be set to the same raga. The song and abhinaya that used to accompany the pallavi was called Sabhinaya Nritya and that was a must for him. Many Gurus at that time didn’t do it. He was tender at heart but as far as his art was concerned, he was very strict.
Now, on looking back, I am surprised and wonder was it me who was understanding and performing all those difficult classical ‘padas’ at that young age? I was only four when I performed the ashtapadis “Lalitalavangalata” and “Pashyati Dishi Dishi”, the first abhinaya pieces choreographed by my Guruji.
What lies in the future?
To be honest, after performing in the recent Award function, I have got back my spirit. My audience and my loving artistic brothers, who are now Gurus, want that I should be back. I will really come back! I would teach my Guruji’s style to some students and whenever I get an opportunity, I shall perform too.
