Odisha Literary Festival: When Gen Z goes an extra mile to save heritage
On being questioned as to what should be done to keep the art form alive, Arushi said all art forms have been open and flui
Published: 06th November 2022 06:17 AM |
Prateek, Arushi and Sniti at the session. (Below) Sniti sings ‘Saraswati Vandana’ at Odisha Literary Festival | Express
By Upasana Ray
Express News Service
BHUBANESWAR: Tradition never dies. It evolves with time, said young artistes Arushi Mudgal, Sniti Mishra and researcher Prateek Patnaik. Deliberating on ‘Saving Cultural Practices: Stories of Our Future’, the three spoke to festival coordinator about their experiences in the art forms that they have been practising, at the 10th edition of Odisha Literary Festival.
“Music runs in my family. I grew up listening to the old gramophone records that had songs from the 1920s and 1930s. My grandmother too was trained in Odissi classical. Being surrounded by music throughout my childhood, I developed an inclination towards vulnerable musical and cultural pratices,” said Prateek.
Speaking about ‘Ram Leela’, the 22-year-old said there are nearly 30 versions of it in Odisha alone. He has been travelling to different villages of Odisha to know about folk heritage of the State. Speaking about a ‘raga’ composed by Kabi Surjya Baladev Rath that was composed some 200-300 years ago, he said that temples buried under earth remain safe but ‘ragas’ like these are dying.
Vocalist Sniti, who has been singing in many regional languages, said although she does not belong to a family of musicians, music flowed into her life as she grew up listening to the likes of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Bhimsen Joshi and old classical numbers by the legendary Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi.
“Listening to these icons I realised that their base was Hindustani classical and their works inspired me a lot. My guru Dr Raghunath Sahu who was a disciple of Dr Damodar Hota of Gwalior gharana, has had an immense contribution towards nudging me in this field. Taking inspiration from such eminent names, I decided I should learn Hindustani classical,” Sniti said.
Like Prateek, Odissi exponent Arushi was also born into a family of artistes.Speaking about her experience with Odissi during childhood, Arushi said she was so drawn to the dance form that she would often sneak into her aunt, Madhavi Mudgal’s classes and try to copy her gestures. “I find it very interesting that we are here today at the Odisha Literary Festival and here I am from Delhi, practicing a dance form that comes from Odisha. This, I feel, speaks volumes about Odisha’s rich culture which is not just limited to the State but has now crossed boundaries.”
On being questioned as to what should be done to keep the art form alive, Arushi said all art forms have been open and fluid. “Art is ever evolving. There has been many transformations in Odissi in the last five decades and each generation has been contributing towards it. “So has been the case with all traditional art forms,” said the dancer.The three artistes ended the session with demonstration of their individual art forms.