Jamshedpur: A Padma Shri chhau exponent and guru from Seraikela, 40km from here, has added another prestigious feather in his cap.
Padma Shri Gopal Prasad Dubey, 60, received the coveted Sangeet Natak Akademi award from President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Dubey, who was felicitated along with eight other exponents in various dance forms, has been working for decades to give Seraikela Chhau the much-desired visibility.
"I am immensely honoured to receive the prestigious award from the government. The recognition motivates me to work for the status of chhau," said Dubey, who had received the Padma Shri in 2012.
Dubey had earlier approached Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya in Chhattisgarh and Reva University in Bangalore to start a five-year diploma course in chhau.
"Any dance form needs to have a proper academic curriculum approved by an institution. Unfortunately there is no such course on chhau in the country yet. I call myself a chhau devotee. So it is my responsibly to ensure the youths of our country are able to study the dance form and make a living out of it," said Dubey, who also runs the dance academy Trinetra in Seraikela.
Born in Seraikela in 1957 and trained under Padma Shri Rajkumar S.N. Singhdeo and Padma Shri Kedar Nath Sahoo, Dubey feels that lack of earing opportunities and respect eroded the appeal of chhau among youngsters.
"In today's day and age, a person will not practise a dance form unless he/she knows that he will be able to earn a living out of it. Chhau will have takers once it gets university recognition," said Dubey, who is currently preparing to perform with his troupe in Portugal on January 26.
Some people may remember that a few years ago, Kolhan University had introduced a year-long diploma course in chhau at KS College, Seraikela, but hardly any students took admission.
"We will introduce the course once again only if we get a good response," said Kolhan University vice chancellor Shukla Mahanty.
Dubey apart, other artistes who received the Sangeet Natak Akademi this time were Geeta Chandran for Bharatanatyam, Jitendra Maharaj for Kathak, Kalamandalam Ramachandran Unnithan for Kathakali, Maisnam Kaminikumar Singh for Manipuri, A.B. Bala Kondala Rao for Kuchipudi, Ratikant Mohapatra for Odissi, Haricharan Bhuyan Barbayan for Sattriya and Anita Ratnam for contemporary dance.
