It was the auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima on July 7 last. The prestigious India Habitat Centre in New Delhi was agog with some scintillating Satriya. The performers were promising dance talent Mridusmita Das, her guru Ramkrishna Talukdar and his wife Rumi Talukdar. And they all brought to life an over 500-year-old rich tradition, giving the Delhiites a rare taste of this classical dance form.

The evening was inaugurated by eminent dance scholar and critic Dr Sunil Kothari by lighting the traditional ceremonial lamp. The packed auditorium was graced by distinguished guests like Padmashree award winner and Kathak dance exponent Shovana Narayan, Sangeet Natak Akademi’s former chairperson and renowned Odissi danseuse Sonal Mansingh and Union Minister of State for Water Resources Vincent Pala, among others.

The Satriya recital began with Mridusmita Das performing a Krishna Vandana, followed by a graceful Gopi Nach to the tune of Pekho Madana Gopala. Then she presented Ram Vandana, an eulogy to Lord Rama. So artistic were the dance movements that the audience could easily relate with it as they were transported to the mythological eras of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama.

Then came on stage the artiste couple Ramkrishna Talukdar and Rumi Talukdar, who, in a duet performance presented Vishnu Vandana, depicting the omnipresence of Lord Vishnu, beginning their recital with a Guru Vandana. The dance was choreographed with a variety of interesting postures like that of Lord Vishnu in the bed of the Ananta Naga and on the Garuda Pakshi, as also the clash of Lord Rama and Ravana.

The true essence of a duet performance was still fresh in the minds of the audience, thanks to the harmonious coordination between Ramkrishna and Rumi, when Mridusmita again took the stage to present a dance item to the tune of Madhu Danava that was a clear shift from her earlier graceful numbers. While it brought to the fore the complete discipline of the artiste’s body, the dance number had some swift yet fluent movements to the fast beats of khol and bhor-taal (cymbals). This enthralling grand finale by Mridusmita, who is currently pursuing a degree from the Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, showed how sincere she has been in her pursuit of learning the nuances of Satriya dance.

The whole programme seemed so ethereal — starting with the costumes, the music and obviously the artistes themselves — that the culture lovers of the national capital would surely cherish it for a long time to come.

Mridumoloy