Experimenting Is Not Bad But You Shouldn’t Destroy The Charm Of A Dance Form : Janhabi Behera

Experimenting Is Not Bad But You Shouldn’t Destroy The Charm Of A Dance Form : Janhabi Behera

The magic of Odissi is unparalleled and stands the test of time to this day, despite several experimentations. No wonder, the classical dance form has several big names to its credit who are doing their best to promote it. Having started her journey as an Odissi dancer from the age of 13, Janhabi Behera is one such danseuse who has carved a niche for herself in the world of Odissi.

Recipient of the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (given by Sangeet Natak Akademi, Delhi), Janhabi is also a master at another unique art – Flower Rangoli. Her work was recently showcased at Lalit Kala Akademi and received huge appreciation.

With an impressive 26-year-career arc, Janhabi has been with the Orissa Dance Academy, one of the renowned Odissi dance institutes in the state and also runs her own training institute at her home, ‘Nrutya Janhabi’. Excerpts from an interview:

Tell us about your journey from a young girl to a well-known Odissi dancer.

I was a kid and living in Balangir with my family since my father worked there. I used to dance to the music from the radio in my childhood. We moved to Bhubaneswar and at the age of eight to nine years, when my peers used to play other games, I used to arrange small-scale dance programmes! Then my mother took me to learn Odissi dance and for singing classes as well, at a nearby training centre. But I was always more interested in dancing than singing. Ashok Panda was my first dance teacher. Guru Ramesh Chandra Jena and Guru Yudhisthira Nayak were my two gurus, who took me to Orissa Dance Academy in 1993. There, I met Guru Gangadhar Pradhan and Guru Aruna Mohanty and learnt extensively about Odissi. Aruna ‘apa’ is the person who made me explore the art of ‘abhinaya’ and made me understand the ways of expressions.

From 30th June to 1st July, you arranged a unique exhibition of ‘rangoli’ made using flowers at Lalit Kala Akademi. Tell us about that.

Since my childhood, I was always against the idea of plucking flowers since I believed it looks better on the plant and I just love flowers. Moreover, when we used to get flower bouquets at events, I used to decorate those flowers in different ways at my home. That has been my regular practice and I feel glad doing that. I started doing it a lot more when I saw people gathering to watch and click photos of such rangolis by me at the entrance of Rabindra Mandap during our events. I had many designs to show people so I thought of making a brochure and decided to organise an exhibition. We arranged the two days of exhibition at Lalit Kala Akademi and got huge appreciation from artists, media and visitors.More than 15 people worked with me and that has given me the confidence that such initiatives can be monetised and artists can earn their bread and butter from this too.

Since you’ve been performing for more than 20 years now, how has Odissi evolved so far, in your opinion?

Previously, the competition was less, but familial and social hurdles were more. Nowadays, it is the reverse. Competition has become very tough because of an increase in the number of Odissi dancers. An artist’s life is always full of struggles, but the happiness and the pain the artist goes through is impossible for others to understand. Earlier, people used to judge a professional dancer, but now things are changing and dancers are getting more respect as well as recognition.

You are a dancer, a dance teacher as well as a ‘rangoli’ artist. So, what do you think you are best at?

I always love being a student than a teacher. I feel like I have a lot more to learn. I have many students, but I refuse to be addressed as Guru. I don’t think I can choose what I am best at; I am fully involved in all my work, whether its dancing, teaching or making ‘rangolis’.

What’s your view on Odissi fusion?

Experimenting is not bad, but at the same time you shouldn’t destroy the flavour or charm of any dance form. I feel we have so many beautiful things to do within our own form that we don’t require any fusion.

Is your family supportive?

My parents and my son are very supportive towards my dance and me; they figuratively are my backbone. My two brothers are also equally supportive. Acclaimed Ollywood art director Subash Behera is my cousin, so my family is used to having an artist in the family!