Srjan, which was founded in 1993 by the legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra has evolved into a premier Odissi dance institute of this nation. Srjan symbolises Guruji’s humble offering of the classicism of Odissi dance, music and percussion to our rich national ethos. Srjan’s mandate is to consistently maintain the high standards of performance, set by Guruji himself, teach a varied age-group of dancers the subtle nuances of the Odissi classical style, and also acquaint the larger public with new choreography and compositions in a bid to keep the fragile dance system not only alive, but also to help it gain an ever-growing presence in the cultural life of India.
Today, a vital aspect of Srjan’s function is dance teaching, which is patterned after the ancient Gurukul system; a number of students live in the Guru’s home and the constant interaction with the teacher and each other helps one to absorb the total ambience of the time-honoured heritage. And Guruji’s rigorous teaching method has been faithfully adopted by his son, Ratikant Mohapatra, who has, all along, ably and imaginatively assisted this great and dedicated teacher in imparting knowledge and techniques of the Odissi dance heritage. This legacy is truly priceless.
What marks out this ambience of teaching and learning are the individual attention, and an empathetic, personalised care that had been taken by Guruji (and now by Ratikant), extended to every disciple, irrespective of individual competence. This one-to-one relationship creates an atmosphere of not only trust but also of a sense of belonging to this second home; lifetime bonds are forged here and Art benefits.
Srjan's teaching ambience is enriched by a well-stocked library, video and print archives with unique compositions of Guruji and live recordings of teaching sessions in progress,maintaining a high level repertoire group, the artistes (of multiple age-groups) of which are paid by the institution and have performed Odissi internationally.
Another vitally important part of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra's legacy is the Summer Workshop at Srjan, conducted during the month of May. Students gather from various parts of India and the world for nuanced and rigorous Odissi dance training, supplemented with sessions in yoga, body conditioning, literature, dance theory, rhythm, and theatre, for a holistic learning in the Classical Art. Odissi dance training is not the only concern of this institution. Srjan hosts a number of classical dance and music festivals on an annual basis. Prominent among these are: 1. Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival, which honours lifetime achievement in dance, cinema, music and theatre, 2. Samsmaranam Festival, jointly organized by Srjan and disciples, held in various cities on rotation basis, to mark the death anniversary of Guruji, 3. Antardrishti Festival, in celebration of Guruji's birth anniversary, and 4. Upasaranam, an annual showcasing meant to provide a performance platform for the very young children being trained under our care.
The training schedules are rigorous, because they involve not only dance-practice and exercises, but also an understanding of Odissi music and rhythm (Tala) system, as well as an overview of the Indian classical heritage and its value system. At Srjan we are the fortunate beneficiaries of this tradition which has been inherited by us through our Guruji, and forms the bedrock of all our efforts and our mission in the service of Odissi dance.
Hence, at Srjan, everyone is important, each person’s thoughts and feelings count. The teachers, the students, and the support staff are motivated to live and work as a family- an opportunity thus created for individual fulfilment and the fulfillment of the little community’s commitment to a life of Art and Aesthetics.
