1 legged Vedic dancer does a Sudha Chandran

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One legged dancer does a Sudha Chandran

 

"The jam-packed house sat stunned as Nityananda danced to perfect

Odissi rhythm executing mudras and presenting mimetic prowess

effortlessly. Unlike Sudha Chandran, he had no artificial leg fixed.

Therefore, he literally danced with one leg moving the audience to

rapture."

 

When a cruel twist of fate took from a dancer his most valuable

asset, he proved that the best was yet to come. BIBHUTI MISHRA

investigates.

 

Sudha Chandran had done it years ago. And the film Nache Mayuri was a

tribute to the miracle she wrought in her own life by making a

comeback to stage as a dancer after losing one leg in an accident.

 

Nityananda Das' story is eerily similar. He lost his right leg in a

road accident five years back at the peak of his career as a dancer-

choreographer. Everything seemed bleak for the moment. But his

spirits had not died and his guru Bimbadhar Das came forward to keep

them alive. "If Sudha Chandran could do it, so can you," he told

Nityananda and thus began a saga of grit and determination that had

its high point recently when with just one leg Nityananda returned to

the stage and mesmerised the audience with his terpsichorean skills!

 

Hailing from Bideipur in Bhadrak, Nityananda had started learning

dance almost two decades back. In 1991 he came to Bhubaneswar to be

groomed as an Odissi dancer and learned under the tutelage of Guru

Bimbadhar Das and Guru Gangadhar Pradhan of Orissa Dance Academy. He

soon blossomed into a dancer of rare talent and stamina. He turned a

choreographer and choreographed for the `Jatra' teams in the state.

That proved lucrative and all seemed to be going well till he met

with that unfortunate accident.

 

 

On June 11, 2000 he was going on his newly bought motor bike from

Bhubaneswar to Bhadrak when it collided head on with a speeding

truck. He was saved but his right leg could not be.

 

Beat and worn

 

After six months in the hospital when he returned home his world

seemed to have fallen into a shambles. The talented dancer and the

successful choreographer for opera parties seemed to be no more. But

Nityananda was made of sterner stuff and he had his guru Bimbadhar to

boost his self-confidence. He decided to rise Phoenix-like and

practiced hard to build his balance and stamina. "It was very tough.

But I fell back on my experience as a dancer and my guru had

convinced me that with hard work and determination nothing is

impossible."

 

God's grace

 

The Puranas say that with God's grace, `Pangu langhayate giri/mukam

karoti bachalam (The lame scales mountains and the dumb turns

voluble)'. Surely God was smiling on Nityananda. Upon his comeback

effort at Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar recently presented `pangu

langhayate giri' an item choreographed by ace dancer Guru Naba Mishra

who also had been a great moral support for Nityananda.

 

The jam-packed house sat stunned as Nityananda danced to perfect

Odissi rhythm executing mudras and presenting mimetic prowess

effortlessly. Unlike Sudha Chandran, he had no artificial leg fixed.

Therefore, he literally danced with one leg moving the audience to

rapture.

 

After the show when the people lined up to congratulate him, a

beaming Nityananda thanked God and said, "I am glad that I am back to

what I love the most ie dance. I dedicate my life to it."

 

Nityananda has set up a dance institution `Kalasharam' in Bhubaneswar

where hundreds of students learn dance from him. He explains the

mudras to them and uses hands to explain the footwork.

 

Nityananda refused the financial assistance that was offered to him

by friends and well wishers in the wake of the accident. A man of

self-esteem he chose to earn his living again.

 

Loath to live on charity he began accepting professional assignments

from opera parties and is back doing choreography for them and

earning a living. He also teaches students at his village and dance

becoming his passion and profession again has pushed the tragedy in

his life to the distant past.

 

Says his guru Bimbadhar Das, "He was always a dancer of excellence.

Therefore, it was a shock when he lost his right leg. However, I knew

that he could come out of this tragedy. We often discussed how Sudha

Chandran had overcome her handicap.

 

Nityananda had the courage and he was willing to put in hard work and

be patient. The result is there for all to see today."

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