Italian dancer traces history through Odissi and the tragic lives of devdasis in Puri

KOLKATA: Italian Odissi dancer Ileana Citaristi, the first foreigner to receive the Padma Shri in the field of art, visited Kolkata book fair on Sunday, with a retelling of her meeting with one of the last devdasis at Jagannath temple in Puri.
The famously tragic life of these temple dancers, along with an intrigue for other cultural forces influencing Odissi, had inspired Citaristi to stay in Odisha and teach the dance form since 1995.
Appointed to worship the deity through song and dance, devdasis were given over to the temple at a young age and were often sexually exploited by the older men in their environment. According to Citaristi, the saddest part is that during the revival of Odissi after Independence, the devdasis wanted to dissociate from the dance form. Moderating the discussion, Oindrilla Dutt added that even the most senior devdasis were not allowed to enter the most sacred parts of the temple.
Among the last four surviving devdasis of the Jagannath temple in the 1980s, Citaristi met Harapriya in 1981. One of the rules of the temple was that if a devdasi left Puri, they could no longer serve in the temple. At the time of their meeting, Harapriya had left Puri. Although no longer practising in the temple, she recited the Vaishnavite kirtans and informed Citaristi about their rituals. "I remember her as always being beautifully dressed, adorned with gorgeous jewellery," Citaristi said about Harapriya.
First arriving in Odisha two years before meeting Harapriya, Citaristi said her incentive to stay back and teach Odissi there years later was the inter-connectedness between dance and all other cultural forms in India. "I couldn't learn one mudra or physical movement in isolation without knowing the ideas behind it," she said.
Through Odissi, Citaristi found herself in a decades-long exploration of 'Geeta Govinda', the religious devotional songs performed by devdasis in the temple. "Geeta Govinda can retrace the history of India in the devdasi system, in the performing arts outside the temple, and in the revival of dance after Independence. It became synonymous with Odissi. Through 'Geeta Govinda', one can find the entire evolution of Indian history," Citaristi said.
Citaristi's visit was hosted by Italian Consulate in Kolkata. Consulate General Gianluca Rubagotti recalled Citaristi's last visit here when she performed on a river cruise.