A New Rhythm

Sattriya, a near-forgotten dance form that originated in Assam, is witnessing a revival

WHEN 15TH CENTURY HINDU reformer-saint Sankardeva evolved Sat-triya, a dance form unique to the sat-tras monastries of Assam8217;s pic-turesque Majuli island, he would have hardly imagined its fate 600 years later. It was not until 2000, when the Sangeet Natak Akademi recognised it as a major dance form, at par with the other forms like Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi, that Sattriya finally got its due. A unique style that formed an in-dispensable part of the plays of Sankardeva, the last six years have seen efforts to revive Sattriya. 8220;Even people in Assam had lost interest in Sattriya,8217;8217; says Guwahati-based Guru Jatin Goswami, a renowned eighth generation Sattriya exponent and Akademi award win-ner.

He was the first one to perform Sat-triya with his troupe at the Khajuraho dance festival in 2002. Funds, al-beit small, have been trickling in and Sattriya has been slowly but steadily gaining ground as a heritage dance form at major cultural festi-vals, dance per-formances and workshops. Goswami, who was recently in the Capital for a ten-day workshop, has alone been conduct-ing several similar workshops at Kolkata and is slated to travel to Mumbai in September. 8220;Youngsters are now more willing to learn the dance-form.

Upcoming artists are being promoted by the gov-ernment, 8217;8217; says Goswami, 73, who trained in the Kamalabari Sattra, one of the 500 sattras in Assam, under his father. The founder-director of the Sattriya dance academy in Gujarat, he says that in less than a decade, the number of students under his tutelage alone have multiplied ten times. In ad-dition, the Sangeet Natak Akademi is also awarding scholarships to encour-age young talent in Assam. Once a part of the prayer and ritual at the monasteries, Sattriya has evolved into a highly stylised perform- ing art, with its own costumes and lan-guage.

8220;There was a strong influence from the Jaatra folk art of Bengal, which we have now done away with. Even our costumes are now made with As-samese silk,8217;8217; says Goswami. A male dominated dance form, it has now also began to include women, of which Bharatnatyam-Sat-triya expert Indira P P Bora is a well-known name. Bora, who runs a Sat-triya training institute Kalabhumi with Menaka, 25, her daughter, says: 8220;While we started Kalabhumi 25 years ago, small academies have come up every-where in Assam. I am optimistic about the future of Sattriya.8217;8217; Now, her 55- strong students are preparing for per-formances across India. From the hallowed portals of the monastry to contemporary urban envi-rons, Sattriya has come a long way.