A soiree for Smita

Asa ekhada pakharoo velhaal
Jyala samora jatoya aabhaal
(There arrives, rarely, a bird so enchanting, so unique /
That all of Nature bows in welcome)
— A song from Smita Patil's national award-winning Jait re Jait (1977)

"Had she stuck around, she'd be just a year shy of 60 on October 17. Knowing Smi, she'd brush it off as just another milestone and get on with life, which she was so much in love with," says Smita Patil's close friend and Odissi dance guru Jhelum Paranjape. Her organisation Smitalay (literally, the abode of Smita) has been teaching dance to underprivileged children since 1989 -- three years after the life of one of India's best acting talents was tragically cut short.

Smita's upbringing in an atheist, Nehruvian, socialist atmosphere meant long debates and discussions on poverty, social justice and equity. "In its own way, this contributed to the roles she chose and in the social causes she aligned herself with," says Paranjape, who is celebrating her late childhood friend with a five-day Odissi festival.

Dance was a way of life for both Paranjape and her friend 'Smi' from a very young age. For years they performed in dance ballets staged by the Rashtra Seva Dal Kalapathak under the baton of noted poet Vasant Bapat. The troupe presented several memorable shows like Maharashtra Darshan, Bharat Darshan, Shiv Darshan and Azadi Ki Jung. A friendship which began when they were in Class 3 only grew with time.

"We were both conversant with the folk style and began training in Odissi under Guru Shankar Behera while in college," Paranjape says. But destiny had other plans for Smita who dropped out of her BA finals to take up the title role in Shyam Benegal's 1977 film Bhumika, which brought her the National Award for best actress when barely 20.

Meanwhile, Paranjape moved to the tutelage of the late Padmavibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra with whom she trained for 26 years. "Smi and me were family and stayed in touch regularly. There was no need for formality ever. We'd just pick up the phone and talk without worrying about intermittent disconnects while she got busy with shoots or me with concerts."

The danseuse vividly remembers Smita's 26th birthday. "She'd set her eyes on something and often talked about it. On her birthday I bought it, got it gift-wrapped and went over," she says, recounting the incident 33 years ago. "We were sipping chai with the-yet-unopened packet beside us, when the bell rang. The help announced who it was, only for Smi to slap her head."

The friend who had arrived shared her birthday with Smita but the actress had forgotten. " 'Chal mee tila haach gift detey (Let me give her this same gift for her birthday)', she said and did exactly that," remembers Paranjape. "We were so comfortable around each other that there was no question of either of us feeling awkward about this."

That gift has come back manifold with the satisfaction of running a place dedicated to the underprivileged, says the dancer. It has been operating for 25 years in a rambling school building of the Sane Guruji Arogya Mandir, just off Santa Cruz. This memorial to Smita Patil has been an active presence on Mumbai's cultural map for two-and-a-half decades -- nurturing and promoting the classical dance Odissi through its dance academy and performing unit.

"Smitalay teaches students more than just dance. They learn how to live, how to be confident, sensitive and empowered artistes and citizens with a voice of their own," explains the Odissi icon who we have caught mid-rehearsal. "At Smitalay, we believe traditional dance forms will have a vibrant future only when practiced by students across walks of life. To ensure this, the underprivileged pay a mere Rs.50 a month. We don't want classical dance to only remain an elitist preserve; but become a joy for everyone."

And the results are there to see. Many senior students have come back to teach at Smitalay after becoming established performers in their own right. The alumni who chose to work independently have taken Odissi to unlikely corners of the globe. But this also has to with the curricula at Smitalay, which contemporarises Odissi, making it accessible and popular with subjects beyond mythology. Works have explored pure mathematics and its linkages to the philosophy of life, critiqued the ethno-politics of hate and division, the Dalit movement, gender equality and mystic poetry.

Little wonder then that Smita's family is deeply touched by Smitalay. "We can't think of a worthier way of celebrating Smi's spirit. Wherever she is, I'm sure she's very happy with what Jhelum's doing." (WHOSE QUOTE IS THIS)

Sensitive to the community's needs, Smitalay has widened its scope beyond Odissi to include educational activities, Bharatanatyam, music, judo, karate, gymnastics, a dental clinic, an ayurvedic clinic and more. "Smi was categorical about not thrusting her needs on others," points out Paranjape. "We've done the same by addressing 'felt' needs and not chasing 'assumed' ones."

The paint's peeling and money is hard to come by but that hasn't been a deterrent. Paranjape's bucket-list for the school, whose tiled floor has taken its toll on her knees, is long. "We want to renovate, get a proper wooden floor and fix the water proofing so that students can sit back and lean against dry walls instead of the damp, dank one now."
In fact, the five-day festival is taking place through crowd funding. "Unlike corporates who fund and forget, this network of friends and their friends (who mightn't be aware of Odissi or Smitalay) will lead to awareness and interest."

The 'rare enchantress bird' would've chirped with joy...
p_yogesh@dnaindia.net; @powerofyogesh

The festival kicked off yesterday (DATE?) with a ballet dedicated to ???poet Bahinabai Choudhari and reformer Savitribai Phule, will showcase young talent today at 8pm at Prabhadevi's Ravindra mini theatre.

The ballet Leelavati will be performed on October 17, Smita's birthday, at Worli's Nehru Centre.

Chitrapat ke Krishna Kanhaiya will be performed on October 18 at Pranaganga, bhavan's cultural centre, Andheri.

The ballet Uma will be performed at 10.30 a.m. on October 19 at Sawarkar Hall. At 6.30 p.m., there will be a presentation by special students of Smitalay at Pranaganga.