The last dance

Smitalay, an organisation founded by Mumbai-based Odissi dancer Jhelum Paranjpe, has organised a programme dedicated to Panigrahi. The doyen of Odissi, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, will also pay tribute to Panigrahi,who was his first disciple.

Smitalay, which was started in memory of actress Smita Patil, will becelebrating International Women’s Day for the fourth year in succession.

The novelty of this year’s programme lies in an Odissi item set to the patriotic song Vande Mataram choreographed by Mohapatra. Four senior Mumbai-based disciples of Guruji will depict Krishna Leela in the folk form of their own regions. Paranjpe will dance a lavni from Maharashtra, Debi Basu Rabindra Sangeet, Daksha Mashruwala garba and Anandi Ramchandran a folk style dance from Tamil Nadu. After this, Mohapatra will step in and the five of them will dance to a Sanskrit shloka. There will be a brief ceremony in which he will garland Panigrahi’s portrait and a lamp will be lit.

There will be a solo performance by Mohapatra, followed by traditional Odissi by students of Smitalay. "The abhinay piece to be performed is dedicated to the Goddess Durga. We have selected Durga and not Saraswati or Laxmi because we wanted to highlight the stronger aspect of womanhood on International Women’s Day," says Paranjpe.

Panigrahi was barely fouryears old when she came to Mohapatra. Her mother sent her to Kalakshetra for Bharat natyam but she returned to Mohapatra and made it a point to evolve her style the way he wanted. "During a performance in Russia, she made a mistake. The moment she was off the stage, she touched Guruji’s feet and said, "Forgive me. I"ll never go wrong again"," recalls Paranjpe.

Mohapatra himself fondly remembers how he used to drape little Sanjukta in her dance costume, ‘she was paranoid about the sari coming off loose during the recital and would insist that I wrap it tighter. When I used to bunch up her hair in a firm knot, she would weep because it was too tight! If I was upset with her, she would not eat for days," he reminisces.

It hurts him deeply that he was not told about Panigrahi’s cardiac ailment until after her death. She used to tell her husband Raghunath Panigrahi that her legs were aching and she could not dance. "I"m slipping away but don"t tell Guruji about my illness, he won"t be able to take it,"Sanjukta apparently used to say.

Even today, Mohapatra says he cannot believe that his "daughter" is no more…The programme will be held at the Nehru Centre on March 08, 1998. Time: 10.00 am.