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‘An Enchanting Encounter’ will be showcased on January 20, as part of the seven-day Fusion Music and Dance Festival being organised by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Infosys Foundation. ”The biggest challenge was fitting in the chende – the percussion instrument that is the backbone of a Yakshagana performance, which is also known as chenda in the neighbouring Kerala – into the mix. Madhulita had already set the entire act to music with the help of her guru. But there is no Yakshagana, if there is no chende. So, we had to rework the sound a bit,” said Tunga.
Mohapatra said the music was composed by Bijaya Kumar Jena and the script was written by noted Odia poet, Kedar Mishra. ”Savitri’s story appears as multiple embedded narratives in ‘Vana Parva’ (the Book of the Forest) in ‘Mahabharata.’ It was narrated by sage Markandeya. When the exiled Yudhishthira asks Rishi Markandeya whether there has ever been a woman whose devotion matched Draupadi’s, Markandeya replies by narrating the story of Savitri,” said Mohapatra. While Tunga is accompanied by his daughter, Chithkala K Tunga, Mohapatra will be accompanied by her disciple Sahana R Maiya. Mohapatra said Savitri always fascinated her as she demonstrates qualities traditionally associated with male heroes, challenging societal norms of her time. ”Her unwavering resolve and fearlessness in facing Yama depict a woman capable of facing challenges head-on, breaking free from the conventional damsel-in-distress narrative,” adds Mohapatra.
Tunga, who’s been performing Yakshagana for more than 30 years, said even his life has been a long experimentation and collaborations with Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi and Kathakali dancers were all par for the course.
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The fusion festival that showcases ‘An Enchanting Encounter’ is the culmination of cultural outreach programmes organised by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in seven cities across the country through the year, said Sharath BN, programme executive at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. ”You can say it’s a grand finale of sorts held annually in Bengaluru, and it is open to the public for free. This year it is on till January 26 at our newly renovated auditorium,” added Sharath.
The festival will feature out-of-the-box events like bagpiper concert by Jaipur-based brass band, ‘Sand Melody,’ featuring a sand artist and a jugalbandi between flute and trumpet, said Sharath