The Gotipua boy dancers of Odisha who performed as women
Having seen Guru Deba Prasad Das demonstrating technique of Odissi at All India Dance Seminar in April 1958, at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, I was curious to know more about Odissi dance form. By fortuitous circumstances I met a Gujarati organiser Babulal Doshi, director of Kala Vikash Kendra institution from Cuttack where children were taught dance, not knowing exactly that it was a classical dance form. He asked me to visit Puri for darshan of Lord Jagannath and go with him to Cuttack to know more about Odissi.
Next year in 1959 there was an Oriental Conference at Bhubaneswar where chief minister Hare Krushna Mehtab was the president. Dr V. Raghavan, the Sanskrit scholar was also presiding over one of the sessions when Odissi dance was presented by one Dhirendranath Pattanaik, a dancer and a scholar. Babulal Doshi also attended the conference. He took me to Kala Vikash Kendra in Cuttack and
showed me young girls ranging from age of 10 to 15 learning Odissi dance. It was there that I first time saw young Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra and his prime disciple twelve year old, attractive Kum Kum Mohanty ( nee Das). I did not then know that Kelucharan Mahapatra would become the legendary guru and one of the architects of Odissi dance, the other two gurus being Pankaj Charan Das, adopted son of a Mahari, Devdasi and Guru Deba Prasad Das.
Thanks to Babulal Doshi, who invited me to Cuttack to undertake research on Odissi dance that I came to know for the first time that Kelubabu was a Gotipua dancer, hailing from a village Raghurajpur, where he was born in a family of painters who made Patachitra using mythological themes. The word Goti in Odiya language means one and pua means a boy. The young boys from the age of five would be trained in dance, dressed as girls with elaborate make- up and chitravali, dotted design on their face decorating patterns of little dots of leaves running through cheeks on both the sides. For base they used white powder of lime and red colour for cheeks. When completely dressed as young female they looked so cute, the tiny tots while dancing and singing would steal hearts of the spectators.
It was in 1966 or there about that Babulal Doshi sent me to Raghu ra jp ur with Kelubabu. I
met Ke lub abu’ s mother who told me the story of how when barely ten years old Kelubabu and his friend, playing roles of gopis looking for Krishna had decided to go to Brinadban collecting some money. They had gone to the railway station and had asked for ticket to go to Brindaban! The ticket master was surprised that these two boys had planned to go to Brindaban and assured them that he would take them there. What he did was to inform Kelubabu’s father about his son’s search for Krishna and take possession of him and other young boy. Both were admonished for their search of the divine and were warned not to dance any more.
But Kelubabu continued to perform incurring the wrath of his father.
Though the tradition of young boys dressed as girls was prevalent in Odisha, but few had bothered to document about the Gotipua dances. Babulal Doshi requested me to invite Dhiraj Chavda, a wellknown photographer to visit Cuttack, to take photographs of dancers, of temples of Bhubaneswar and Konark. Dhiraj Chavda was also Gujarati and had taken excellent colour photos of the Jhaveri Sisters who too were Gujarati. It was so funny that Babulal, yours truly, Dhiraj Chavda and the Jhaveri Sisters were all ‘ Gujjus’. and were deeply interested in dance! Also being Vaishnava, we loved to visit Puri, a place of pilgrimage.
On inquiring about Gotipua dancers, I was told that during the month of May corresponding with Chaitra month, the proxy idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra were taken for a boat ride in Chandan pokhri, the pond near temple. And in front of the idols Gotipua boys would dance and Guru would play pakhavaj. The boat would take two to three rounds in the pond. And after ritual worship, the dance by Gotipua and singing of various songs, they would get off at the bank completing their ceremonial rituals of Chandan Jatra.
Also on the occasion of Jhulan Jatra, when idols are placed on a swing in month of August close to month of Shravan, the Gotipuas would perform before the Gods in a compound before the idols in a math, a monastery. Their dancing was devotional, deliciously crude but enchanting. The expressions they wore on their cherubic faces were unalloyed and innocent.
I was quite excited and requested Dhiraj Chavda to take photographs of the Gotipua boys getting ready, putting on make- up and female costumes. Guru Pankaj Charan Das made all arrangements and one young Gotipua dancer by name Rabinarayan was dressed up to perform on a chapo, boat, with a white canopy and Guru Pankaj Charan Das would play pakhavaj. One more vocalist would sing. We had to hire another boat to take photographs. There were young children jumping into eater, swimming near the boat in which the idols of the Gods were placed and Gotipua was to dance.
Our presence with cameras created quite an excitement, as so far no other researchers or scholars from Odisha had ever taken photos of Gotipua dancing on the boat with a guru playing pakhavaj and a vocalist singing Odiya songs. Our boat followed the chapo on which Guru Pankaj Charan Das was paying pakhavaj, Rabinarayan the young Gotipua was dancing to the singing of a vocalist before the idols of the gods. Our shooting of photos of Chandan Jatra became quite historic. We took a photo of Rabinarayan, Gotipua before a temple, in a street which was allotted to Gotipua dancers. With my detailed article it was used for cover story of The Illustrated of Weekly of India and for the first time information about Gotipua dancing on boat was published in a national weekly. After 40 years when I visited Rabinarayan’s residence, I saw that cover of the Weekly framed and displayed on the wall!
Visiting Raghurajpur and staying with Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra was quite an experience. Guruji’s mother would prepare food with great affection and insist that I must eat the complete large portion of pakhala bhata, the specially cooked rice in water. At night Guruji would spread a chaddar, bedsheet on floor for me to sleep. One never bothered about physical comforts but loved staying with Guruji to learn a lot about the tradition.
Next morning Guruji arranged a performance of young Gotipuas in front of a temple. They belonged to one guru Manguni Das who had Dashabhuja Gotipua dance troupe. The little boys performed with such charm that one could not take eyes off them and loved their singing whether in tune or otherwise. They would execute movement chhamm, chhamm, chhamm and take pirouettes and stand in Chauka, square position, which is the basic position of Odissi dance.
During my stay in Cuttuck and visits to Bhubaneswar Dhirendranath Pattanaik, who was writing a book on Odissi dance in Odiya language, shared with me his knowledge about several historical references about Gotipua dancers. He gave me books on history of Odisha. I devoured the books, interviewing gurus, dancers, priests, Maharis the female dancers performing in temple in contrast to Gotipua dancers who danced outside the temple and in compounds of maths, monasteries and made copious notes. I also met the well known poet, director, playwright Kavichandra Kali- charan Pattanaik, who knew about the period when tradition of Gotipua dancers was established by Ramachandradeva of Bhoi dynasty. When Jagannath temple at Puri was attacked several times and the tradition of female dancers performing dance in temple declined, Ramananda Ray, minister of Pratapchandradeva, ( mid 15th century AD) as per Vaishnava cult of sakhibhava, where all devotees considered them as wives, consorts of Lord, who alone was considered as man, introduced the Gotipuas dressed as female to dance outside the temple and preserved the tradition. From the memories of the Maharis and Gotipua dancers, three gurus revived the Odissi dance tradition with their creative inputs. Watching them training young dancers like Kum Kum Mohanty and Sanjukta Panigrahi I witnessed the recreation of Odissi dance. I started arranging demonstrations of technique of Odissi dance and of the Gotipuas in Mumbai and Delhi. I was keen to share what I had seen in the villages, interacting with gurus and dancers with city audiences. I did not believe that I was doing something very important. My writings of those years in national weeklies provided a lot of information in those years.
The surprise of surprise was when I saw the Gotipuas performing acrobatics, standing over each other like human pyramid, creating various formations known as bandhas. Simply breathtaking! They would take somersaults, raise their legs from behind, bring in front and walk, balance themselves on their palms and walk like peacock, sit with crossed legs and hop and jump like frogs. Sadashiva Rath Sharma, a priest and Sanskrit scholar shared with me references form a 17th century palm- leaf manuscript Abhinaya Chandrika, written by Maheswar Mapatara where these acrobatic feats were recorded and their names like chira, both feet like split in a ballet, Dwimukha, two faces, Torana, decorations, Trishula, trident, Mayura, peacock, Chala Mayura, walking peacock, and Sagadia, a wheel. Guru Debaprasad Das’s one female student by the name of Bijoylakshmi Mohanty was trained in Bandha nritya. And in a trice she would perform these acrobatic dances. And what a beauty, with her large eyes she was!
Kelubabu took me in Puri to various streets which were given to the Gotipuas boys where there were akhadas, gymnasia, the boys were given physical training in these akhadas and were also known as akhada pilas. Various troupes of Gotipua boys were maintained by landlords who entertained not only the Gods but also the public. Bandha nritya of Gotipuas became a rage and they shot into national and international fame. Their three- day long performances were arranged in Bhubaneswar a few years ago, where from various villages Gotipua troupes came to dance. Among them were two 60 years old Gotipua soloists Gobind Pal and Bhagirathi Mahapatra, who mesmerised all with their authentic presentation. Troupes from Brahmagiri, Dimirisana stood out for traditional performances, whereas from Bhubaneswar troupes from Konark Natya Mandap, Lakshmipriya troupe of Balipatna, Nakshatra troupe of Odisha Dance Academy revealed influence of present day Odissi dance and stage craft.
Guru Gangadhar Pradhan arranged for their systematic training in his centre near Konark temple. He built a theatre inspired from Konark temple and even today the training is being given there. Manguni Das was honoured with civil honour of Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Akadmei award. With the passage of time, their dance indeed got influenced by Bollywood films, became more spectacular in terms of costumes, closer to reconstructed Odissi dance and presentation. The gurus started introducing national anthem when they formed human pyramids one little follow holding a national flag on top. They started singing about themselves as proud Gotipua dancers! Nothing could stop them from such influences. Sakhi nach, another dance form from Ganjam district where too boys dressed as female dancers, came in touch with the dances of Devadasis from nearby Andhra region and attracted parallel influences. Colouful coffee table books featuring Gotipuas with their acrobatic poses hit the book stands at the airports.
When the boys achieve puberty, they stop dancing and become gurus teaching young boys. Their voices crack when they develop Adam’s apple and often loose that boyish charm. But they know the art of dance. I collected with help of my late poet scholar friend Jiwan Pani several songs which Gotipuas would sing and dance. With Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra I visited various villages and maths, monasteries filming and documenting their dances for Odissi Research Centre established by Odissi exponent Kum Kum Mohanty. Guruji used to perform one song of the poet Banamali in which Radha tells Krishna that because of his pranks, she cannot go to Jamuna to fetch water. ‘ You stop us from going to sell curd and butter to Mathura, promise to ferry us across the river and midstream, shameless as you make advances and attempt to kiss us! Go away O Krishna! Do not pride as a scion of Nandaraja’s son, I am no less in my social status, but O beloved when you play the flute you steal our hearts’. ‘ To laagi Gopa dannda mana re Kaliya ...' is a popular song and often I used to request Guru ji to perform it in Mumbai at C J Hall ( now National Gallery of Modern Art) in mid seventies at Kal- keKalakar festival. He used to cast a spell with his acting, ferrying boat, directing his glances at the milk maids, and suggesting love play! Ah, those were the Halcyon days of dance, when I was fortunate to work with the gurus and relish the dance. With my photographer friend Avinash Pasricha we have photographed the cherubic, charming little Gotipuas’ dances. In spite of various influences, they retain their charm, innocence and beauty with gems of Odiya poets’ songs. One must not miss watching their dances, as their contribution in maintaining Odissi dance, now in its glory, is priceless.