Oriya dancer bags award at National Youth Festival

DHENKANAL: A 17-year-old Oriya boy, Aniket Pallav Nayak, from Dhenkanal bagged the best Odissi dancer award at the National Youth Festival 2011, held at Udaipur in Rajasthan on January 16. Aniket, who was selected from the State Youth festival 2010 held at Keonjhar where he topped in the Odissi dance competition, has displayed amazing potential in dance. Later, he participated in the National Youth Festival 2011, organised by the ministry of sports and youth affairs of the central government, at Udaipur in Rajasthan. The festival was held from January 12-16, 2011. As many as ten artists representing their state had participated in the Odissi dance competition. Orissa ranked top whereas Delhi got the second prize. Aniket has been inclined towards dancing since his childhood andOdissi was a natural choice for him, his parents told TOI. He started picking upOdissi dance steps as early as the age of four after, watching shows ontelevision. Amazed at their son's interest in dance at an age when most childrenare busy playing with toys, his folks got him admitted to the Natraj SangeetMaha Vidyalaya, which is affiliated to Prachina Kalakendra, Chandigarh.For the first two years, he learnt the basics of the dance from GuruSomnath Pradhan. He started participating in competitions and won the bestperformer award in Odissi at several events. He topped the Kumar Utsav festivalwhen he was 8 years old. For one so young, his performances aresurprisingly soulful and leave his audience enthralled. He hasreceived great appreciation for performances such as Dashavatar', Yahimadhav ofGita Gobinda', Sritakamala Kucha of Jayadev' at various cultural forums. He hasespecially been applauded for his fluid footwork and the powerful emotion heevokes through the rendition of these pieces.His dancing skills have been honed by his teachers Jyotshnarani Mishra, Kanduri Charan Behera and Niranjan Rout. He has performed at various cultural events including Konark Festival, Baisakhi Festival, Barsha Festival in Bhubaneswar, Kalakar Festival in Angul, Dhenkanal Mahotsav, state-level Kalingayana Touryatrikam. He has also toured West Bengal, Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam and performed in these states.Aniket had won the Cultural Talent Search Scholarship offeredby the Centre for Cultural Resourcs and Training (CCRT) under the ministry ofculture in 2004. He was awarded a scholarship of Rs 7,200 per annum that willcontinue till he completes 20 years of age.The young artist has alsostaged Ardhanareswari', which is the sublime fusion of Lord Shiva and GoddessParvati, at National Youth Festival. Padma Vibhushan Gurushree Kelucharan is hissource of inspiration for this typical dance form, saidAniket.According to his teacher Jyotshnarani Mishra, Aniket is abudding artist with rare talent. "Right from the time he started learningOdissi, Aniket has never diverted his attention from the dance and has put hisheart and soul into it. He tries hard even beyond my guidance. The performanceon Ardhanareswar' of Gurushree Kelucharan Mohapatra was his selection. He is hisown inspiration," she said. But although Odissi may be his passion, Aniket knows a formal education is equally important and is currently a first year student of electronics and telecommunication at Synergy Institute of Engineering and Technology (SIET). In his pursuit of Odissi, he has climbed into the fifth year. "Though Odissi is the love of my life, I am not sure whether I can make it my profession as it is not a sustainable option. I plan to become a lecturer after the completion of my M.Tech. But Odissi will be always be part of my life," he smiled. "His keen interest in Odissi and his superb performances have renewed his identity in the public forum. We try to encourage him as much as we can in the pursuit of his passion," said Rashmirekha Nayak, his mother.