Medicine is arduous, the subject is vast and clinical practice riddled with social and technical inequalities. Were it not for my passionate entanglement with dramatics, Indian classical dance, fine art, NCC, elocution, cross country cycling, gardening and raising canines – I would have been a dead log long ago.
I dabbled in the arts during my schooling at Cuttack (1972 -83) as an amateur dramatist (plays, jatra, television and cinema), training in fine arts (water, oil -7 years at a Sunday art school) before meandering into Odissi dance alongside my elder sister Tapaswini, a disciple of the legendary Odissi maestro – Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra (Kelu saar). Boys in classical dance raised many eyebrows and the initial discreet learning were in the sidelines of the dance classes, rehearsals and program trips with Kelu saar, the perfection continues to evolve after over four decades now! Indeed, my parents have provided the soil for the sapling to grow.
1984 , Duet -Odissi ,with (my sister Dr T apaswini ) Std 11,Bangalore
My ‘Odissi’ nurture was unconventional as I learnt the basics from my sister with Kelu saar looming large as my Dronacharya on the horizon! Yet the hallowed aura created around my academic attainments helped me break social resistance to train assiduously in Bharatanatyam alongside MBBS. The dance scholar Dr. Hema Govindarajan was my Guru and mentored me in solo classes amidst my restrictive timings . The sunrise practice sessions fired my ambitions and catapulted me across the turbulent undergraduate career with composure and academic distinction. My Bharatanatya Rangapravesha (the first full length solo stage performance akin to a graduation) materialized during a calculated break of six months at Bangalore after MS (PGI, Chandigarh) and before MCh (AIIMS, Delhi)!
1993 , Odissi , Chandigarh , MS days
Classical dance can break barriers to strike a chord in a variety of hearts! I have enjoyed the varied responses from schoolchildren, the literate rasika and the rustic countryfolk to the same presentation. My little patients and their parents are both amazed and amused that the hand that wields the scalpel can mould several mudras (hand gestures) too! Dance elevates my consciousness to an eclectic, ecstatic level and an appreciative discerning audience is the ultimate reward. Performing has had its basket of mixed moments – going onto the stage with spectacles on, the ghoonguroos (ankle bells) getting stuck in the curtains for three entries before letting go, ornaments dropping off mid recital , forgetting the steps and making up and tearful moments of sudden back pain during rehearsals ! Dancing in a group brings along camaraderie and bonhomie, which is a lesson for life itself. I have enjoyed dancing with medical and nursing students on several occasions.
1991, ICC , Internship JIPMER. The interns batch lifted the ICC trophy that year !
I have often scored a definite edge over my professional colleagues because of my artistic attainments and am grateful for it. My family, peers and children have been accommodative to my practice sessions at unearthly hours (early morns and late nights) and fueled my determination to compose and perform regularly. As an amateur artiste, one can afford an occasional slip from perfection in the recital too. My choreography of simple new pieces across regional literary works has been savored favorably by seasoned audiences too.
My first solo performance was a baptism by fire in high school when I put up an Odissi invocatory piece after a mere three-day practice; the learning on the sidelines had helped immensely. I cannot forget the adulation that followed, it was certainly disproportionate to the efforts! I have been blessed to run into great Gurus, performing artistes and dance scholars in my life (Odissi -Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra, Sanjukta Panigrahi, Dr Kumkum Mohanty, Dr Priyambada Hejmadi,Dr Minati Mishra , Dr Rohini Dandavate , Ratikanta Mahapatra , Sujata Mahapatra; Bharatanatyam- Dr.Hema Govindarajan , Venkatalakshmamma , Dr.Bhanumathi , Dr Ashish Mohan Khokar ..to name a few) . Besides my Bharatanatyam Rangaravesha where Kelu saar presided, my memorable performances have been at the Yadavindra Gardens and Jagannath temple at Chandigarh, the Konark natya mandap, Birla auditorium -Jaipur, IIM -Bangalore and the institutions I have studied and worked at over the years (St John’s – Bangalore, JIPMER -Pondicherry, PGI -Chandigarh, AIIMS- Delhi and AIIMS -Bhubaneswar).
My Gurus – Bharatanatya Arangeteram 1998
The male classical dance performing artiste is no longer a rare entity as was in the seventies when I started off! I am thrilled to see scores of accomplished male dancers storm the proscenium at prestigious festivals and sabhas. Suravi, my life partner, a pathologist and a trained Odissi dancer herself, supports my endeavors from the wings.
2001 Nrityanjali
My sons – Tejaswi (a doctor now) and Kharabela , chose to learn Odissi while at school and trained in interschool competitive football simultaneously! It is heartening to see proficiency in co-curricular activities being given their due credit in competitive arenas in schools and universities.
The dance in me has greyed over the years too. The costume is subdued, the movements are mellowed, the sentiments more subtle and there is an ethereal feeling while akin to meditative salvation while I perform! After a while, I lose sight of the audience and drift into a trance. Balancing two dance styles Odissi and Bharatanatyam has been a tightrope act with carefully calibrated performances of respective styles. The only instance where I have performed both styles with an intermission was at the Jagannath temple at Chandigarh in 1994.
The fine sensibility of an artist weaves a loving and compassionate personality that aids immensely in caring for the sick and balances the crests and troughs of life and career. The practice of Odissi and Bharatanatyam has been an aqueduct of creative release and revelation rather than an escape vent from professional and personal disturbances. The dancer in me complements the physician -surgeon to identify with the yearning of the sick child to get well and run out to play. I believe the patience and demeanor I accrue from pursuing a classical dance art translates into empathetic caring to heal the sick child and anxious parents. And the show must go on as long as it can ….
