Artiste Rahul Acharya seen during some of his performances

Often considered a divine dancer, this Odissi danseur is known the world over for taking his audiences into an ethereal journey to the ancient temples of Lord Jagannath through his powerful Odissi performances.

Besides being the first male recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, he is also a Sanskrit scholar, lecturer, researcher and a writer. An empanelled artiste of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and a member of the International Dance Council, Unesco, he has performed across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and the United States.
An evolved performer, artiste Rahul Acharya, he is one of the most remarkable contributors to the Odissi dance form in the country. In him, one sees the relentless pursuit of an artiste to excel at what he loves doing best — dancing. A conversation with him reveals his dedication towards Odissi, and his keen desire to understand the origin and nuances of the art form.
With a career in dance spanning over 27 years, for Acharya, dance is more than just powerful expressions and perfect postures. He firmly believes that any choreography needs thorough research and understanding. “I take a long time to explore and research on a certain topic before I get down to choreographing it,” he says. For instance, a dance piece on Meera Bai, which Acharya is currently working on, saw him follow the trail of the divine poet, right from the village in Merta where she was born, and Chittorgarh where the princess got married, to Vrindavan and Dwarka. “I travelled to all those places to gain a better understanding of her journey. I also hit upon some 2,000 compositions of Meera, that talks about her life.”
Being well-versed in Sanskrit has helped him comprehend the ancient scriptures at greater depths. With spirituality being the core of Indian art, he has also been learning the Vedas and Shastras under the guidance of renowned Sanskrit scholar Pandit Nityananda Mishra.
Having co-authored a book on Jagannath culture, the artiste’s curiosity to explore the origin of Odissi has led him to begin his research on the ritualistic aspect of the traditional dance form. “The Natyashastra talks about the Odra Magadhi as the most ancient style of dance. Odra Magadhi is what we know today as Odissi. According to archaeological evidences, Odissi is the most ancient classical dance form of our country. But what was the dance style at that time? How is it different from what we perform today? My research is based on the antiquity of Odissi, based on the study of Natyashastra. For instance, Odissi is considered a feminine dance as it’s a mix of the Mahari and Gotipua dance. Maharis were women, while Gotipua were men dressed as women. Hence, the conclusion. But, if one studies the Natyashastra, there is no mention of any female dancer. Analysis of the historical records and the formulation of the grammar of Odissi, both theoretically and practically, are the keys areas of my research,” says the scholar, who regularly contributes essays and articles to the Sacred Dance Guild Journal, USA.
Acharya is also exploring the Gita Govinda with its varied interpretations. “I have always been allured by its heightened divine eroticism, the concept of divine union and sensuality, the exploration of the divine feminine as well as tantric texts.”
On July 10, Acharya performed excerpts from the Gita Govinda and numerous traditional Oriya compositions, juxtaposed with music from very traditional instruments at the NCPA in Mumbai.
Though known for his electrifying expressions that convey myriad emotions, Acharya considers himself an unemotional person. “I am quite a weirdo,” he jokes. “I don’t display emotions. I don’t cry. The only way I experience pain, anger, joy or grief is when I am dancing. If you strip dance from my identity, I am nobody. Dance is the only way I communicate with myself,” shares the artiste.
Interestingly, this was not always the case with him. As a child he would not miss a single opportunity to skip his dance lessons. Acharya was all of four when he began learning Odissi. He playfully admits that he was quite a handful as a child. “During my school days, I would run into the bathroom at the sight of my Guru. He would wait patiently for me, and I could hear him saying, ‘For how long are you going to sit in there? I am right here, waiting for you’,” reminisces Acharya, who used to send the driver back when he would come to pick him up for dance classes.
“My mother was very strict in these matters. Though she gave me enough freedom to make choices, she made sure that I gave my 100 per cent in whatever I undertook. She would thrash me for my notoriety.” His tutor, Guru Shri Durga Charan Ranbir, he was so petrified of, later became a father figure for the artiste. “I am what I am because of him. I cannot really describe the role he has played in my life.” Acharya received both junior and senior scholarship from the Centre of Cultural Resources and Training to further his interests in dance. Interestingly, besides dance, Acharya was equally keen on pursuing higher education in life sciences, and so, he later went on to get a Master’s degree in biotechnology.
Acharya’s assortment of interests does not end here. He has a special knack for experimentation as well. The danseur has performed contemporary numbers with the renowned Malaysian choreographer Ramli Ibrahim, exploring Nechinsky’s works. “I had to literally unlearn everything and start from scratch. It was a good experience.” However, Acharya believes one should experiment with the dance form only when one knows the rules thoroughly. “I experiment a lot. I don’t follow my Guru’s dance style completely. I try to make changes and bring in new styles. But, a lot of artistes dance Odissi to Mozart in the name of experimentation. This sends across a very wrong idea about a traditional classical dance form. I am not opposed to innovation. But it is important to have a complete understanding of the rules in order to break them,” he feels.
Having performed across the globe, Acharya is optimistic about the future of Odissi.
“In all the workshops that I have conducted abroad, I have come to realise that people have begun identifying Orissa with Odissi. Also, the knowledge regarding the ancient dance form among the audiences, both locally and internationally, has increased a lot. In one of my performances abroad, on an item of Lord Shiva, a person from the audience came to me and asked if I had based my dance on the Shiva Purana. I was amazed. The interest among art admirers is increasing. Odissi has a bright future,” says a jovial Acharya, who believes that the ancient dance form will continue to retain its pride of place.