Right moves: A group stages Purulia Chhau

What Uday Shankar did for modern dance, word of mouth has done for Rajkiya Nritya Kala Kendra’s mission to popularise chhau.

The numbers say it all.

From 86 dancers, the Seraikela-Kharsawan-based government dance institute has enrolled over 150 now, thanks to regular visits to nearby villages for the last couple of years to motivate youngsters to take up chhau.

In 2011, the total number of students enrolled in Seraikela, Purulia and Kharsawan chhau was only 86. It rose to 108 in 2012 and currently, the institute boasts 152 dancers. They hail from about 37 villages in and around the dance institute.

Efforts started way back in 2010 when the centre organised a panchayat-level chhau competition to make the dance form popular among tribals and the larger rural population. It was meant to recognise talent.

A nritya mandali — a troupe of 12 to 15 dancers who perform across villages and then talk to people about the dance form — was formed.

“When we started, we had less students. We then thought that preservation of an art form could be done only when you pass on the knowledge to the other generation. So we decided to move around across villages and talk to people about it,” explained the director of the kendra, Tapan Patnaik.

Most of the new entrants were farmers who came to learn different forms of the mask dance. Stipends helped. “We give them anything between Rs 500 and Rs 2,500,” he added.

“Seraikela-Kharsawan has a great wealth of talent. Thus, we try to select the best ones, who will help in promoting the art,” said Raju Mukhi, a Seraikela chhau dancer.

Besides travelling and enrolling more students, a team of six senior students led by director Patnaik is also focussing on documentation. The team is carrying out research on the lost acts and ballads of Seraikela chhau.

Of the 288 ballads and dance dramas, Mahishasuramardini, Naavik, Mayura, Chandrabhaga, Radha Krishna and Ratri are the most popular ones.