|
| The Odissi Research Centre in Bhubaneswar |
Bhubaneswar, May 6: The state government is all set to give a special gift to Odissi dance and music artistes, who have brought limelight to the state through their performances. An Odissi museum, set to come up soon in the capital, will offer visitors a clear idea about the history of the dance form as well as the best performances by legendary artistes.
The department of culture recently conducted an expert committee meeting to take the plan further.
“This unique museum will be dedicated to the efforts of all the premiere gurus such as Guru Kelucharan Mohaptara, Adi Guru Pankaj Charan Das, Guru Debaprasad Das and many others, who not only infused life in Odissi, which was slowly fading, but also made it globally popular. We will also feature the present artistes, who continue the efforts to keep the dance form vibrant throughout the world,” said state director of culture Sushil Kumar Das.
The museum will be situated on the premises of the state-run Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre. There will be different segments with focus on various aspects of Odissi music and dance.
At the entrance, a visitor will be welcomed at the introductory gallery containing information on different galleries inside the museum. One section will be dedicated to the evolution of Odissi dance through the ages, describing the different sources from which the steps were derived, such as temple sculptures, ancient texts and paintings. There will be another gallery featuring information on the legendary artistes’ styles and contribution to the dance form. Folk art forms such as Pala, Daskathia, Sahi Jata, Mahari and Gotipua will also be featured in the museum. Similarly, Odissi music will be showcased in separate galleries dedicated to instrumentals and vocals.
“The instrumental segment will showcase old mardalas, flutes, cymbals and details about the instruments and the artistes, who developed and promoted them. Similarly, musicians and vocalists will also be a part of the galleries,” said Das. Among the members of the expert committee are K.K. Basa, an expert on museology, dancer Aruna Mohanty, Bhubaneswar chapter head of the National Archives Lalatendu Mohapatra, musicians Ramahari Das and Dhaneswar Swain and dance and music critic Shyamahari Chakra.
“It was rightly suggested by Basa that visitors should get a chance to have photo sessions wearing Odissi dance costumes. There will also be other audio-visual effects to provide an interactive forum to the visitors at the museum. This museum could prove to be a great move to preserve the heritage of Odissi,” said Chakra.
Culture minister Prafulla Samal announced the plan last year. So far, the state government had decided to invest Rs 1 crore to set up the museum while grants from the Union culture ministry were expected, said officials of the culture department. An overall budget of Rs 10 crore was estimated to construct the museum.
| 
