GHARANA

GHARANA (family), is the lineage linking the artists to a particular style of dance: training, technique, and repertoire. Through the GURU-SHISYA (TEACHER-DISCIPLE) tradition, the lineage organically influences the methodology of teaching and mood of a dance presentation; ultimately, the gharana informs the understanding and appreciation of the artform.

Late Guru Deba Prasad Das, Founder

Guru Deba Prasad Das, established the distinctive style of Deba Prasad school of Odissi dance and is credited with being one of three revivalists of Odissi. Born in 1932 in Cuttack, Orissa, he learnt Odissi and music as a child and then ventured into theater. In 1954, he left the theatre to begin formal studies in dance and music at the Utkal Sangeet Samaj and National Music Association of Cuttack. In 1956, the well-known danseuse Indrani Rehman became his disciple and it was with her from 1957 to 1963, he traveled all over the world and established Odissi as an international art form.

For his significant contribution to the field of Odissi Dance he received the Orissa Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1975 and the Central Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1978. Guru Deba Prasad was the first guru to integrate Sapda-svara-pata, the tandava aspect of Odissi with abstract dance passages, within the usually performed repertoire. He joined Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya and continued to teach there until his untimely death in 1986. He was 54 years old.

Guru Shri Durga Charan Ranbir

Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, the modern exponent of the Deba Prasad Das School - the more tribal and tantric branch of Odissi - has brought to the limelight the cultural and artistic heritage of this particular ancient, classical dance through his relentless pursuit, in its purest and most devastating form.

Hailing from a rural village called Kamaguru, near the vicinity of the famous Chilika lake in Orissa, India, his aesthetic ability was well encouraged. As a student of the Late Guru Deba Prasad Das, he soon became a worthy disciple and a wonderful exponent. He successfully completed his studies in Odissi dance leading to the prestigious award of Nrutyacharya by the prestigious Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya.

His insatiable thirst for this art has made him promote this through an organisation named Nrutyayan in Orissa where he continues to practice the cherised guru-shishya parampara (student-teacher relationship), and trains students from all over the world. Students spanning the globe from Austria to Korea are scrambling to get trained by him and take this pristine gift to their homelands. Of all the varied dance forms of Odissi available today, the style from the Deba Prasad Das School has the highest number of dancers and is the most prevalent. READ MORE