Dona Ganguly was in school when she joined a dance workshop during the summer holidays. She filled up the forms, paid the fees and looked forward to learn Kathak. The teacher who was to come could not make it. And in walked Kelucharan Mohapatra. Dona was disappointed, but at her mother’s insistence she went on to attend his classes. This was the first time Dona was meeting the maestro who went on to become her mahaguru. It was the beginning of a long, rewarding bond.
Dance was part of Dona’s life right from the age of three when she was enrolled in Amala Shankar’s dance school. “We were taught creative dance, which included learning various forms including Kathakali. Kathak always fascinated me and that’s how I landed up at the workshop.
“But Odissi and Guruji changed all that. I began learning under the guidance of Guru Giridhariji. A significant change happened when I began travelling to Bhubaneswar during vacations to learn from Mahapatraji. From the uncharted waters of Odissi I began feeling the dance within me, in my body. I began performing. Soon, Mahapatraji started coming to my house in Kolkata, stayed with us and taught me with a lot of care and affection,” says Dona who performed with her group in Tripunithura as part of the Poornojwalam Monsoon Fest.
For many of Dona’s early performances Mahapatra had accompanied her on the pakawaj. This relationship continued till his death in 2004.
By this time Dona had matured into one of the finest exponents of the form. She is one of the few who still preserves the Kelucharan Mahapatra style, the anga suddhi, and has created a perfect blend incorporating elements from other dance forms of Odisha and contemporary trends.
In post-Independence India, dancers mapped new directions in classical dance by creating socially relevant compositions that derive inspiration from diverse themes.
Odissi also went through this phase, played with the avant-garde and flirted with change.
But Dona has clearly drawn the line. “I’m not against contemporising the dance form but I believe strongly that it has to be within definitive limits of tradition. The original cannot be compromised for the sake of something new. Whenever I need to open up the traditional to other artistic influences, I decide on the limits to which I can go. I’m aware of the boundaries and parameters. When I need to compose something for a special occasion, say a tribute to Tagore, I will do it carefully, so that I do not adulterate the traditional dance form, its essence.”
Dona speaks very animatedly, her passion for dance very evident. “For whatever experimentation or improvisation, for whatever new choreography you want to do, a dancer should have the basics right. The grammar, tradition, and the basic text must be there firmly in place for creating something new.”
Costume or the aharya cannot make a great recital but it can certainly mar it. Unsuitable colours and shoddy attire can detract from a good performance; brassy colours and flashy backdrops can also overshadow the dancer. Dona is particular that she and her group step on stage in aesthetically designed costumes.
“Indian classical dancers look so gorgeous in their traditional, aesthetically designed attire. And in the backdrop of wonderfully sculptured temples they are a pleasing sight. We use saris and jewellery that give the dance form its distinctness. Saris are usually in bright, plain colours with borders in the traditional design. I prefer to use the Sambalpuri, Kotki and Bomkai saris. And I believe that silver jewellery sets off the costume very well. Innovations, I feel, is okay for a dance drama but not for conventional Odissi. Care must also be taken to ensure that the dancers stand in the backdrop that is a relief to their figures and costumes. Today, lighting is also effective to offset the aharya. Instead of flat lighting there should be lights that heighten the effect of the performance, the movements and special formations. All this is part of aharya.”
Music, Dona agrees, adds to the ambience and can lift or kill a performance. “It is an integral part of the dance. But unfortunately today we have a dearth of musicians and plenty of dancers in Odissi. So, it has become imperative that we opt for recorded music, which is, I know, only a second option. The recordings are very good, we have hi-tech playback technology, and since we rehearse using this it makes the dancers comfortable on stage too.”
Odissi has always been a solo dance form. But now group performances that end up as multiplied solos, are quite popular.
Dona sees a practical reason for this change. “There are so many young, talented dancers waiting to fly. Group performances give them that chance. And it is not all that bad. Watching a group of beautiful dancers in their costumes move in harmony is really an amazing sight. It is all fine as long as it does not deviate from the original Odissi.”
Dona now divides her time between performances and teaching at her school Diksha Manjari. Her daughter Sana is fast developing into an excellent Odissi dancer.
The better half
No conversation with Dona can be complete without asking her about her husband, Sourav Ganguly. It was not cricket that brought them together but badminton. Ask her about this and she smiles coyly and replies, “We used to stay close to their house, only a wall separated us. I have seen Sourav since he was a young boy. When Sourav played badminton the shuttlecock used to occasionally land in our compound. I used to return it. I have seen him grow before my eyes, from local cricket to Ranji Trophy, to the Indian side and then as captain of the national squad. Sourav is a fighter and I’m so glad for all that he has achieved. And now he’s doing a good job as a commentator too.”
