Lovely Professional University got blessed on Saturday, the 17th of February when the legendary dancer Parwati Dutta stepped inside its premises.
This internationally acclaimed classical dancer taught Odyssey and Kathak dance steps to LPU students and staff members.
She also performed on classical dance forms at the Shanti Devi Mittal Auditorium of the university and enthralled the audience with her performance.
The classical dancer Parwati Dutta endeavours to bestow the true meaning and discipline of kathak to her students. Her simple illustration of the most mundane transports those around her.
Dutta who is recognised by the dance fraternity as a thinker dancer and also a dedicated art administrator, had an interactive session with the students where in the latter asked various questions regarding the classical Kathak dance and its prominence in the country.
Director of Antarta studio Nidhi Mittal said “Learning from Parwati Dutta was like a dream. Her knowledge, willingness to teach, patience and impeccable command on the subject were commendable”.
Parwati Dutta travels across Marathwada to engage with the grassroots and introduce arts education to the deprived. There are dancers who travel the world win laurels bring glory to their art form produce innovative choreography build an army of competent students and then there are those who do all of the above and also create institutions. Parwati Dutta belongs to the latter category. An intuitive dancer choreographer and arts administrator she underwent rigorous training in Kathak an Odyssey under the Aegis ofmost proponent such as pt Birju Maharaj, Pandit Kelucharan Mohapatra and Guru Madhavi Mudgal.
Parwati’s solo performances began to attract appreciation and she was soon travelling the world with her esteemed gurus. Her passion for teaching and academic research further strengthened her understanding of form and evolved newer insights about the vocabulary of dance. Her work ever since has reverberated with fresh ideas unravelled through painstaking research into some of the most definitivemusicological treatise such as Sangita Ratnakara. From Tagore to Odiya poetry to the sculptures of Ellora caves, her choreographic universe is eclectic. A Resolute Gandhi and by faith and practice Parvathi nursed a strong urge to introduce arts education in socially and economically marginalised areas and empower the local populace through exposure and training in the arts.
She quit Delhi for an obscure Aurangabad when invited by the Mahatma Gandhi Mission Trust to setup a performing arts institution needless to say that her journey has been strewn with numerous challenges some constructive wire the rest very better to create Mahagama has shaped into a nurturing performing arts space which trains talents from various parts of Marathwada and successfully birthed a culture of dialogue and Critical enquiry around the performing arts through workshops performances artist in residence programs summer camps and specially curated dance events.
Though her dream is partially realised there is a lot to be done for Indian dance education and the City she now calls home which has finally embraced the outsider as one of its own.
-Akanksha
