Nandita Behera’s ‘Devi Mahatmyam’ Draws Full House

[Guest guest]

I wish I could have been there!!! Did anyone else see this?

 

Namaste,

 

pr

 

http://www.indiajournal.com/pages/event.php?id=4762

 

BY NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN

 

TORRANCE, CA – It was an evening of color, talent and devotion.

Nandita Behera's Odissi ballet, " Devi Mahatmyam " was staged on

Sept.20 here, at the Marsee Auditorium to a packed audience that

rejoiced in the telling of the glory of Goddess Durga.

 

With a minimal of props, Behera began the exposition as only she can –

by humbly asking for the blessings of the audience to bring home the

wonder of Shakti. The well known story of the triumph of good over

evil began with the depiction of Mahisasura in intense tapas.

 

Through the ballet, Behera, a long time teacher in the Southland,

brought in over 30 dancers from tiny tots to adults who sketched the

roles of the various Gods – Brahma, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Siva - through

mime rather than pure dance. Most play acted to the hilt and evoked

period pieces from celluloid and the hugely popular televisions

series' of the Indian epics. Behera's youngest students, barely in

pre-school, stole the hearts of the audience with their impeccable

costuming and stage presence.

 

Through 21 scenes and without a moment's break, the dance-drama kept

up a non-stop pace with overhead narration by Raj Mantha. The

highlight was the penultimate act where Mahisasura played by Behera

and the Divine Mother, played by her principal student, Sharanya

Mukhopadhyay do battle. The energy that the two brought on to stage

was palpable and for a Southland audience not getting enough of

Odissi, showcased the rhythm and expression of the genre.

 

Behera's immediate strength as a dancer has always been her ability to

allow audiences to participate in the divine sublimation that is

dance, so it was with some trepidation that one watched her playing

the antithesis of that expectation. Her dancing though, as the asura,

never wavered. Mukhopadhyay also stood out showing grace one moment

as the enchantress Mohini and the next as the fierce goddess Durga.

 

The crowd, at the end of the show, responded by showing their approval

with a standing ovation for Behera and her troupe.

 

Earlier, the evening which was presented by and was for the benefit of

the Vedanta International Cultural Center, began with the chants of

" Ya Devi " in Sanskrit and English near a simple altar of the deities

of Puri by the Sarada Convent. Swami Swahananda, Minister at the

Vedanta Society of Southern California welcomed the audience and Swami

Sarvadevananda also of the same organization, chanted vedic verses and

opened the evening's proceedings.

 

It began with a musical presentation on the mohan veena by Suman Laha

in the raag madhuvanti. He was accompanied by Shashanka Bakshi on the

tabla.

A special mention after the final bow by the dancers was made of

Maitrayi Majumdar for putting the event together.