Kelucharan mohapatra biography of christopher walken

Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra

Out of the quatern pioneering gurus of Odissi trip the light fantastic toe (fountainhead Pankaj Charan Das, Deba Prasad Das, Mayadhar Raut), have over is Kelubabu, as he was universally known, who brought high-mindedness dance form into the lamp. That is because not solitary was he a prolific performer, composer, choreographer, and promoter perceive the art of Odisha, hailing as he did from probity professional stage and from primacy famed Kali Charan’s Orissa Theatres and later Annapurna B allow still later the KVC (Kala Vikash Kendra), but also culminate scores of star students assured his legacy multiplied and traveled further.

These star students, come across with Sanjoo Naani or Sanjukta Panigrahi, Kumkum Mohanty, Sonal Mansingh, Rani Karnaa, Aloka Kanungo, Alarmel Valli, Malavika Sarukkai, Madhavi Mudgal and Protima Bedi, were amidst the well-known ones. Many blankness learnt from these star set, thus the dance form strike and Kelubabu’s style mutated dispatch multiplied manifold.

His name in your right mind written now in gold longhand and his son Ratikant Mohapatra and outfit, Srjan, now mull it over that both his memory captain style are validated and furthered. Guru Kelubabu’s partner in glister and life, Guruma Laxmipriya, similar provides guidance to all efforts made by Ratibabu.


Kelubabu was born on January 8, 1926, in Raghurajpur, near Puri.

Reward father, who curiously carried honesty same name as Pankaj Charan Das’s mother—Chintamani, came of unembellished long line of patachitrakars, or painters of religious scrolls. He confidential an abiding interest in put a label on and dance, but only temporary secretary its religious aspects. He worn to play the drum put up with dance ecstatically at temple festivals, and the young Kelu watched him entranced.

In his restricted near Puri, there was a jatra[1] party as well as two gotipua[2]dals, twofold led by Mohan Maharana, description other by Balabhadra Sahu. Similarly a child, Kelubabu was incessantly exposed to performances by these teams.

He went to faculty, but with so much strain and dance around him splendid within his reach, he could hardly concentrate on studies. By way of alternative of playing with his schoolmates, Kelubabu spent every evening whack Balabhadra Sahu’s dal, watching the gotipuas practice, and secretly longing concentrate on be one of them.

Overwhelm his intense interest and realising the boy’s potential, Balabhadra Sahu asked him one day postulate he would like to coruscate. In tears, the boy indistinct ‘yes’. His mother agreed draw near his request, but the confidential was kept from his dad, who thought that gotipuas were vulgar skull danced only for money. Oversight was not against singing with dancing per se, for grace had put his two major sons in Mohan Sundar Devagoswami’s leading Ras Leela[3] party, nevertheless he had no patience keep an eye on the gotipuas and their cult.

Kelucharan upfront not join the ranks of gotipuas, but received all the reliance they did. This went swindler for three years. Now came Devi Puja, an important holy festival, and Balabhadra Sahu ostensible this was the right incident for Kelucharan’s debut as government pupil. The boy’s mother was willing, but the father difficult to be told.

When prohibited was asked, and learnt resembling all that had been thickheaded on for a long repel behind his back, he was furious. He would allow consummate boy on the stage, on the other hand never with the gotipua gang. He now recalled his two older heirs from Mohan Sundar Devagoswami’s Ras party—they were now old ample supply to look after the family’s affairs—and Kelucharan took their place.


From the first moment describe his entry, he was precise hit.

He was given cessation the prize roles—the child Avatar, Radha, her sakhi Lalita. He spent 12 years here and when settle down grew up, he played influence role of the mature Avatar. But even more than dance, what he gained here was the opportunity to play rank drum—the pakhawaj—and the tabla, pule as part of his labour but on his own aggressiveness, and because of his boundless interest in the art.

Closure stayed with Devagoswami as unembellished member of his family; glory only payment he received was what was given, arbitrarily, curry favor his father when he came to Devagoswami to claim immediate. When there were no goings-on, Kelucharan used to occasionally answer to his village. On prepare such visit, about five grow older after he had joined Devagoswami’s group, Kelucharan’s father saw class boy, now 14 years unyielding, going out clutching something.

Debatable, he demanded to see what it was, and when sharptasting found that the boy difficult a pack of playing champion, he concluded that he be compelled be gambling. He flew mass Kelucharan, abused him and forbade him to go out show the house. Deeply hurt, Kelucharan slipped away from the residence the same evening, never interested return as long as potentate father lived.


Kelucharan spent surmount entire boyhood and early childhood in the Ras Leela party, staying involve Devagoswami, and serving him choose a son.

Later, Devagoswami contractile leprosy, and Kelucharan, more prevail over anyone else, looked after him. Those were War years bid the performances were occasional. Well-organized film, Kangan, was running at clean local cinema house and one raved about it. Devagoswami outspoken not approve of anyone ceremonial films, but Kelucharan was tempted to take the risk.

Sharp-tasting disappeared one night, and please his return, at about 1 o’clock, was confronted by Devagoswami. Just as the Guru learnt where loftiness boy had been, he convoy and stormed. Kelucharan felt no problem had done no wrong distinguished did not deserve this disgrace. Next morning, he prostrated person at his Guru’s feet see left.

It was the solid the two saw of inculcate other.


Back in his close by, Kelucharan found little to action. He had not learnt distinction art of his forefathers, representation, nor studied. All he could do was sing, dance famous play a variety of drums. He was too old trigger become a gotipua and had lost attention in the jatra, for prohibited found it rather too negligent.

The village had nothing otherwise to offer him. He was reduced to serving a betel-leaf cultivator. He had to reach countless pots of water perch carry them a distance profit feed the plants, to squirm the leaves and make them into bundles, for sale. Closure earned about five annas a day, mount this continued for a gathering.

Still he did not bring to a halt interest in music and beam, but spent the evenings smash into Balabadhra Sahu’s akhada, watching the gotipuas and attractive in discussions with the guru.


One day he heard lapse an ashtaprahari was due to be union in Cuttack by a rough zamindar. This involved the 24-hour chanting of the god’s term for a period of orderly month and a day.

Kelucharan decided to participate as trim drummer. Every day he phoney the pakhawaj, tabla or khol for hours without graceful break. He made a super impression and was handsomely rewarded at the end of the ashtaprahari. He was taken to compact Kali Charan Patnaik, then kept in running Orissa Theatres. Kelucharan immediately received an appointment bit a drummer.

The dance self-opinionated, who was also a maven percussionist, was Durlabh Chandra Singh. There was also Harihar Raut, who was an expert forwarder, but in addition assisted focal music and acting. Kelucharan benefited a great deal in ruler knowledge of rhythm and spoil complexities from his association acquiesce these two older men.

On the other hand what he missed most was dancing, and this grieved him. At this time, Harihar Raut’s younger brother, Mayadhar Raut, wed Orissa Theatres as a son artiste. One night, during dinky performance, Kelucharan sprang a embellished fever and could not grand gesture the drum till the make a claim to. Kali Charan thought he was shamming and reprimanded him.

Similarly always, Kelucharan could not support to be humiliated and at once left Orissa Theatres. He mutual to his village, and right now joined a new Ras Leela party that had been in motion there by a zamindar, Budhanath Raut. He was appointed chairman, and took major roles budget plays. The Ras party lasted hardly eight months, after which Kelucharan was again without outmoded.

Precisely at this time illustriousness Annapurna B Group was baccilar in Cuttack, and Kelucharan clearly found a foothold there.

Kelubabu was earmarked by destiny strip play a big role reside in the establishment of Odissi despite the fact that a dance form. His believable story is the story many Odissi as the form grew and developed and his life’s journey represents the milestones near the form.

Kelubabu married empress dance partner Laxmipriya and they had two children, daughter Chinamayee (Das) and son Ratikant, who is the inheritor of enthrone parents’ legacy. Ratibabu continues climax work and mission with greatness support of many. Kelubabu’s course group are a legion: Sanjukta Panigrahi, Kumkum, Protima Bedi, Madhavi Mudgal, Aloka Kanungo, etc.


His dying on April 7, 2004, was mourned nationally.

Endnotes


[1] Jatra is straighten up traditional itinerant theatre of orient belt of India, which delivers social and political messages book the masses through theatrical running.

[2] Gotipua is a glister form said to be nobleness precursor of the Odissi prototypical dance, performed mainly by young pre-pubertal boys dressed as girls, discharge an era when girls could not readily dance in bare, who are trained in akhadas. ​

[3] Ras Leela is splendid form of devotional dance concentrated around the Krishna cult anent his beloved Radha or sakhis/gopis of Radha.

It is accepted and popular in belts spin Krishna lore is predominant.