Jamshedpur, Feb. 25: Kala Mandir-The Celluloid Chapter Art Foundation, a city-based cultural group, has adopted two remote villages in Saraikela-Kharsawan district for three years to promote the dying Kharsawan style of chhau dance.

The organisation has identified Deoridih and Deuli villages in Kharsawan block, where all necessary steps will be taken to promote the Kharsawan style. The organisation has started preliminary work in Deoridih village.

Dorabji Tata Trust, a Mumbai-based cultural organisation, has promised financial assistance of about Rs four lakh to the art foundation for the project. The funds would be given in four installments.

“We have adopted these two villages because the trainee dancers there have shown interest in cultural activities, especially in this form of chhau dance,” secretary of the art foundation Amitava Ghosh told The Telegraph here today.

He said the training programmes will be conducted in phases. “We are now concentrating on Deoridih village. After we streamline the training programme in that village, we will take up Deuli. Our initial ground work in Deoridih has already started,” a senior functionary of Kala Mandir said.

Kala Mandir officials said the local dance gurus will conduct the training programmes. “Paramananda Nanda and Kamakhya Satpathy, two local gurus, will take the chhau classes at Derodih. We are yet to identify a dance guru from Deuli,” they said.

While 30 village youths will attend the chhau classes in Deoridih, 10 trainees will learn the dance in Deuli. “Our primary work is to coordinate and ensure that the classes take place regularly. Chhau dance was gradually losing its popularity. But now we hope that Kharsawan chhau dance would be revived,” Ghosh said .

The training programme would continue for the next three years. “There are possibilities that the trainees will perform across the state and the country if they live up to the expectations of the gurus,” Kala Mandir officials said.