Dear Friends,
Our trip to the village of Pandia, Ganjam (Odisha) to view a performance of Radha Prem Leela, a declining folk form of South Odisha, on the 28 October (the next day right after the final day of the Debaprasad Award Festival, Bhubaneswar) turned out to be a fulfilling cultural outing.
The rain was pelting when we decided to turn back after a superb lunch at a nearby dhaba, in Pandia.
However, upon returning, a few kilometres later the monsoonal rain magically stopped. We decided to turn back to Pandia when we found that the Radha Prem Leela ‘party’ was preparing to start.
When we reached the village again, the main courtyard was already bustling with activity of preparation. And we weren’t disappointed!The troupe under the helm of Guru Yudisthira was excellent both in its dance-theatre and also in the music presentation.
The artistes performing were refreshingly young but were very well trained. They delivered their performance with earthy gusto and confidence.
Guru Gajendra Panda was immensely pleased and kept going up the stage several times to pin rupee-notes on the artistes’ sleeves. (Apparently, this was the traditional way of showing one’s appreciation).
The young actors had star-quality. The 3 singers and musicians, too, were excellent and kept up the high energy needed to engage the rustic audience who were themselves, connoisseurs. They would leave if the performance was below par.
Just nearby, another party, a Bharat Leela one, had also set their tent and could easily attract the Radha Prem Leela audience for a viewing alternative. Even in a village like Pandia, the competition was steep.
Culturally satiated and inspired, we returned at night fall, when the performance was still in progress. It would possibly run past midnight as the performance had started late due to the rain.
Ramli