PAPER 5 DANCE, POETS AND POETRY, RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY AND INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE MODULE 11 SAHITYA, KAVYA AND GEETA OF ODISSI All the fine arts are interdependent & to each other. Sometimes they are segregated to concentrate on their individual growth & enhance their richness. But they evolve collectively. Music, Drama, Dance & Literature are inseparable & interdependent. Most of the dance treatise classified dance in three categories: Natya, Nritta & Nritya. Nritta is the dance which is always embellished with ornamental had gestures & postures with supportive music without a song. Nritya is expressional dance and performed to convey the meaning of a theme through codified meaningful hand gestures (Mudra), suggestive facial expression (Bhava / भाव) & symbolic poses (Bhangi / भॊगी). Natya is predominated by the elements of drama such as dialogues or spoken words in addition to the Nritya & Nritta in it. Both Nritya / न्रित्य & Natya / ना絍य are dependent on Vachika / वाचिक & Aharya / आहायय Abhinaya / अभभनय and expresses itself through Angika / अॊचगका & Swatika Abhinaya / सात्त्वक अभभनय. The importance of Vachika abhinaya is understandably lot more than other three abhinayas. Words with proper punctuations & modulation reach the spectators in no time. Sometime even if they don’t see the characters they follow the story hearing, the dialogues only. It is said Vachika Abhinaya is the king & other abhinayas follow 1 it. The accompanying song (geeta / गीत) can be considered as Bachika Abhinaya in dance. Dance follows Vadya, But Vadya Follows Geeta. Nrittang Badyanung Proktang Badyang Geetanubarticha न्रितॊग ब饍यानुॊग प्रोक्तॊग गीतानुबन्रतिय ा- Sangeet Ratnakar Tasya Geetasya Mahatmya ke Prasangsitumishate तस्य गीतस्य महात््य के प्रसॊगभसतुभमशते Dharmarthya KamaMoskhyana midamebaik sadhanam धमयर्थयय काम मोक्ष्याना भमदामेबैक साधनॊ – Sangeet Ratnakar It is not easy to describe the magnitude of songs. It is the only method to accomplish Dharma, Artha, Kama and Mokshya. This was known to our ancestors so they have given due recognition to language. Natyashastra, the bible of Drama & Dance dealt extensively on Bachikabhinaya & Chhandobhinaya / छॊदⴂअभभनय in th 14 Chapter. Bharatamuni explained Bachikabhinaya bibhaga / बचिकभभनय: Akhyat kriya / अख्यात क्रिया (Dhatu / धात),ु Nama / नामा (Sangya / सॊऻा), Upasarga / उऩसगय, Nipata / न्रनऩटा, Taddhita / तात्धधत, Sandhi / सॊचध, Bibhakti / बबभत्क्त & Samasa / समसा. It has also described Bruta / ब्रुत & Chhanda / छॊद, which are the most essential element to write poems. The poems are wonders of literature, when sung tunefully, become appropriate medium to express in dance. The poems are sung 2 tunefully & rhythmically. Incidentally the rhythmic structure of a taal depends on the chhanda or configuration of the letters (matra / मॊत्र) & Jati pata / जाती ऩता . The meaning of the words (Sabdartha/स녍दाथय), total connotation of the poem (Bhabartha/भावाथय), rhythmic configuration of words (Jatipata) & the matching of dhwani / धवनी (sound) with words which produce same type of sound (Anuprasa or alliteration) and the modulation of the voice (gamaka / गमका) make the poems – Song (Sangeet / सॊगीत). Oriya poetry is a treasure of lyrical beauty, loaded with musical extravaganza, noteworthy imagination best suited to choreograph in Odissi dance. Odissi Dance owes to the poems for its expressional Dance-- Abhinaya. (Odissi dance repertoire is segmented in to five items--- 1. Mangalacharan / मॊगऱािरण, 2. Bottu or Sthayee Nritya / बोट्टू अथवा स्थायी न्रित्य, 3. Pallavi / ऩ쥍ऱवी, 4. Abhinaya & 5. Mokshya / मोक्ष्य) Odiya songs are the lyrical expression of rhythm – or chhanda. Without chhanda poems cannot be composed. This peculiar quality differentiates prose from poetry. Biswanath Kaviraj in his treatise Sahitya Darpana wrote – “Chhandobandhang padang padyam / छॊदⴂबॊधॊग ऩदाॊग ऩा饍यॊ”. Rhythm is the natural swing or alternation of some quantitative difference (stress, duration, Pitch,, silence) that accompany all flow of meaningful sound. – Dictionary of world literary terms. – Ed-J .T. Shipley P.278 3 We see mention of word Chhand in Rig Veda. According to etymology the word Chhand is derived from – Chhand Dhatu which means to cover, to be delighted in, to please etc. Chhand is accepted as Vedanga - one of the six angas of Veda, also considered as the pada (feet) of Veda. (“Chhandah Padau tu Vedasya / छन्द् ऩादौ तु वेदस्य”.) There are many treatises which elaborately dealt with the science of Chhand. (Chhand Sutra – by Pingala, Chhand Sastra—by Halayudh, Chhand Manjari - by Khemendra, etc.) Oriya Bruta has been written by Narayan Purohit as evident from the gazette of Hunter as follows - Bruta Ratnakar, a treatise on versification written in a kind of verse called Chhanda, Orissa- William Hunter (1872). The commonly used Chhanda are divided in to two categories--- Matrika & Barnika / माबत्रक तथा बन्रनयक. Again these are subdivided. Matrika - each letter of the vernacular alphabet is distinguished with certain number of matra. Accordingly all the vowels & consonants are measured with one matra. If the consonants are with akar, ekar, Chandra bindu, anusar, etc. then their valued are two matra. Again the letter before the juktakhyara / जुक्ताख्यारा will also be valued as two matra. During the composition of the poems care is taken to match the total matras of each line. Barnika Chhand is also known as Akshyara Bruta / अऺर ब्रुता. Here the numbers of the letters the alphabets are taken in to consideration to match the lines. Chhanda can be Sama / सम. Asama & Bisama / असम तथा ववषम. If the motion of the song is in two letters then it is Sama, if three 4 letters /matra then it is Asama and if it is combination of two & three letters then it is considered Bisama. Jati is another factor which accounts for the composition of poems. It is important that the sounds of the last word of the line matches with the last word of the other line. It is called Pranta Milana / प्राॊत भमऱन. When the tongue takes voluntarily rest, then is called Jati. “Jati Jrinhestha Bishram Sthanang Kavibhiruchyate Sa Bichhed Biramadeih Padarbachya Nichechhaya” - Chhandomanjari – Ganga Das 1- 18 “जाती त्िन्हेस्था बबश्राम स्थानाॊग कववभभ셁楍यते स बबछेद बबरमादद् ऩदाबय楍या न्रनिेछया छॊदⴂमॊजरी-गॊगा दस १-१८ According to the Jati pata The chhanda are named as – Yukta Akhyarika Chhanda / युक्ता अख्याररक छॊद , Chalana Pradhan Chhanda / िऱाना प्रधान छॊद , Mukta Chhanda / मुक्त छॊद , Amitrakhyara Chhanda / अभमत्रख्यारा छॊद, Upadha Milana / उऩधा भमऱाना छॊद, Ekantara Mitrakhyara / एकान्तर भमत्रख्यारा, etc. In Odisha the Chhanda/ Chhaanda word has many connotations : As it was described it is the structure of the poem constructed with letters & words giving due privilege to the numbers of the letters & its matras also where to rest etc. It also refers to the whole composition of songs. Odiya poets have named their poems as Chhaandas. Example – Jagamohana Chhaanda – Dinakrushna, Chhaanda Bhushana - Upendra Bhanja, Chhaanda Bharat- Keshab Pattanayak etc. 5 Chhaanda is also considered a typical style of Odissi Music. The taal pattern of the song is directly dependent on the Jati pata & configuration of words and letters. As a result there evolved many Chhanda Brutas. Adi kabi Sarala Das’s Sarala Mahabharata was based on Dandi Bruta. This is a bruta like the earlier compositions of Charya Geeti, does not require to have same matra (Barnik or Matrik) in each line, though the words at the end of the lines matches. This is managed by the singer while singing. The singer takes more time with proper notes & gamakas when there are less words and when there are more words he sings it fast. Example: Jujhesthi deba bole se daya mote kala / जुझेस्थी दबा बोऱे से दया मोटे कऱा Duryodhan bole se mote bahar karidela / दयु ोधन बोऱे से मोटे बहार कररदेऱा Apamana paina mu tanhu aili / अऩमाना ऩैना मु तनहू एऱी Barunabanta tharu ethaku lata kataili / ब셁नाबॊता था셂 एथाकू ऱता कान्रतऱ Akhadae diaili pallira duare / अखाड़ े ददईऱी ऩत्쥍ऱरा दआु रे Mritika drone thapi sadhili Samare / मन्रृ तका ड्रोन थाऩी साचधऱी समरे - (Sarala Mahabharata/सरऱ महाभारत) 6 Jagannath Das’s odiya Bhagabata is written in Nabakshyari Gurjari Bruta. It is also known as Kalhar Bruta. Each line consists of nine letters or Akhyara. Two lines make one Pada. The smallest Bruta is Nalini Gauda Bruta. The brutas used in odiya poems used for dance are Basanta Bruta, Kalyana Ahari Bruta, Kamodi bruta etc. When the poems are sung tunefully it becomes Song. The Songs or Geetaare more are classified in to two categories- Anibaddha & Nibaddha Geeta Anibaddha / अन्रनबधध is free from taal & other bindings. It refers to the Aalap without rhythm. Nibaddha Geeta is bound by taal and embellished with dhatu and anga. There are four Dhatu / धातु ( Dhatu Chatrubidhah – Udgrah, Melapaka/ Dhruba Bhoga iti / धातु ित्रबु बध् – उ饍रह, मेऱाऩक,ध्रुबा भोग इन्रत). Druba Pada or Sthira Pada (Ghosa) is repeated again & again. Udgraha is the first part of the song. Melapaka keeps connection with other stanzas. Abhga is usually the last stanza where the poet’s name is mentioned also called bhanita. The six angas are – Pada, Gamako, Biruda, Tena taal, Pata and Swara. The jaatis are ascertained according to the number of Angas. (There are five jatis – Medini / मेददनी, Nandini / नॊददनी, Dipini / ददवऩनी, Pabini / ऩबबनी, Tarabali / ताराबऱी) 7 Gamako / गामको, Biruda / बब셁द, Tenaka / तेनका, Saptaswar / सप्तस्वर, Pata / ऩता & Taal / ताऱ are the six limbs of Prabandha Geeta / प्रबॊध गीत. Pada / ऩद, Biruda & Tenaka / बब셁द तेनक deal with words & language. Tenaka refers to Mangalabachaka Sabda or auspicious words.