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About Sattriya Dance
Sattriya Dance,
an Indian Classical dance that originated from the State of
Assam.
The word Sattriya
is derived from the word ‘Sattra’, because till then the dance
recitals were exclusively practiced within the compounds of a
Sattra, a monastery like institution which was the epicentre
of the Vaishanvite culture.
Srimanta Sankardev
during 15th & 16th century brought about a renaissance which
strung the society together into a cultural and social whole
and can be said without doubt that it was this resurgence in
the society that shaped the present day Assam.
It is as a Classical Indian dance which reflects Indian
culture, its legacy and heritage of over 5000 years.
Mahapurush
Srimanta Sankardev used the charm of art and culture to
intertwine his philosophy of monotheism i.e. Vaishnavism so
that it could be used as a medium of instruction.
To spread this art
form, Sankardev used as a tool the style of story telling
through drama called the Ankia Naat which depicted the life of
Lord Krishna & Lord Rama and numerous dances were included in
those Ankia Naats created by Him. At later stage, his chief
disciple Sri Sri Madhavdev and other apostle created some
newer numbers.
With time, many
names were used like Nadu bhangi, Jhumura Naach, Chali-Nach,
Behar Nach, Sutradhari, Gosain Pravesh, Gopi Pravesh, Ojapali
Nach to name a few, but today in common parlance it is known
as Sattriya, thanks to Dr. Maheswar Neog who understood the
need for a singular identity rather than the confusion of
various names.
The sattriya dance
can be classified into two styles namely Paurashik Bhangi i.e
Tandav or masculine style & Shtri bhangi i.e Lasya or feminine
style.
The history of
Sattriya goes back centuries; however, it saw the light of the
outside world only in the 60s of 20th century when it was
first preformed outside the Sattra. Credit goes to Late
Moniram Dutta Muktiar Barbayan & Late Raseswar Saikia Borbayan.
These two
exponents were rewarded by Sangeet Natak Akademi in the year
1963 & 1980 respectively, a much needed impetus to a dance at
such a nascent stage. However, the contribution of eminent
personality Dr. Bhupen Hazarika is noteworthy in the field of
Sattriya Dance.
The dance has every flavour of a matured art form but it does
not share the same pedestal as other classical dance forms of
India. The reason for its lesser popularity is because the
dance stayed inside the Sattras and limited to the Bhakats
(disciple) only until the middle of the 20th century.
Finally, the
Sangeet Natak Akademi of India, in November 2000, accorded
Sattriya dance with the status of a Classical form.
After recognition,
the youth have shown their interest to learn this dance very
eagerly. Various Sattriya exponents are composing newer pieces
breaking the monotony of older compositions captivating the
hearts of the youngsters. However, this has not come at the
cost of the basic tenets of Sattriya.
Nartan Kala
Niketan of Guwahati in Assam, a premier institution of
Sattriya dance is relentlessly pursuing this goal to promote
and popularise this dance across the globe through their
performances.
The road map for
the future involves the participation of the performers,
institutions, patrons & media in particular which is the
window to the outside world. |
