A Tribute to My Mentor

Guru Ramani Ranjan Jena

Rohini Dandavate

I was around ten years

old when I first met
Guru Ramani Ranjan
Jena, one of my first
Gurus in Odissi dance
at Kala Vikash Kendra
(K.V.K.) in Cuttack.
After completing the
preliminary training with
Dr Menaka Thakkar, I
joined K.V.K. to
continue my study in
Odissi dance. He was
the faculty in charge of
instruction in the first
and second year in the
program of study. An
ace performer and an
articulate teacher he
was an inspiration for
young students.

Born in Remuna, a village in Orissa,

Shri Ramani Ranjan Jenas dance
training started at an early age. His
gurus included Gurus Gayadhar
Panda, Ramaswami, Ramgopal
Mishra, Raghunath Dutta,
Mayadhar Raut and Guru
Kelucharan Mohapatra. He lived in
the premises of KVK.
As young kids we often played at
the swing and jungle gym near his
home inside the KVK campus
before his class. Seeing him walk
towards the main building for class,
we would run to the classroom and
behave as if we were waiting for him along. The class commenced
with a smile and greeting. For seven long years he remained one of
our key mentors and was always accessible for guidance. During the
intensive summer workshops under Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra
amongst many male students, namely Guru Raghunath Dutta, Guru
Muralidhar Majhi, Guru Shankar Behera, Guru Gangadhar Pradhan,
Guru Natabar Moharana, and many others, Guru Ramani Ranjan
Jenas style stood out.

Ramani Sirs execution of the

Odissi flow was always a
pleasure to watch.
Several incidents flood my mind
as I go down memory lane. I
have a vivid memory of he
cycling down to my home to
teach. A methodical teacher his
tips for improvement were very
useful. It was delightful to learn
my first Mangalacharan
namami vighnaraj twam, in the
Odissi repertoire from him. I
remember the grueling hours of
dancing to the syllables, and
notes of Batu nritya, Basanta
pallavi, Bhangi Chanha, the Odiya abhinaya and moksha. He spent
innumerable painstaking hours helping me mold my body in to the
fluid movements of Odissi dance and build my understanding of the
various elements of the dance form. I spent several years training
under him at home until his move to Kalakshetra.
Ramani Sir was kind enough to buy me a mardala for his use during
home classes. Over the past 46 years It has traveled with me from
Orissa to Mumbai, Delhi and now it is one of the treasured
possessions in my home in San Francisco. Though this mardala not

played since my move to the

U.S., the sounds of his beautiful
mardala playing continue to
reverberate in my mind. He
accompanied me on this Mardala
one last time while I was
rehearsing for my television
program on Doordarshan in the
year 1992 in Delhi, a few months
before I left for the U.S.A. The
mardala continues to remind me
of the precious lessons I have
received from Ramani Sir.
Ramani Sir taught Odissi dance
in various institutions in India.
After starting his teaching career
in K.V.K. , Cuttack he moved to Kalakshetra , Chennai. He was
invited to teach in Nrityagram near Bangalore for a short while. He
later settled in New Delhi and offered classes in Triveni Kala Sangam.
For some time, he also taught Odissi in Osaka, Japan. He
established his own institution, the Kamal Kala Peetha in Cuttack.
Ramani Sir, trained a large number of reputed dancers including the
famous Bharat Naytyam dancer, Malavika Sarukkai whose debut
performance in Odissi dance was conducted under his guidance in
Mumbai. Another noted Bharat Natyam Guru and dancer, Dr Menaka

Thakkar, often invited him for in home residencies in Odissi dance

while she lived in Mumbai.
Besides, his excellence in Odissi dance Ramani Sir was known for
his natural performance of folk dances on stage and in Odiya movies.
His signature presentation was the Kela Keluni dance, in which Sani
Das, another leading Odissi dancer of the seventies, accompanied
him. Ramani Sir was honored with the Orissa Sangeet Natak
Akademi Award in 1987, the Orissa Sahitya Akademi Award in 2009,
the Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra
Award in 2008.
His departure has left a void in the field of Odissi dance which will be
hard to fill. I express my sincere gratitude to him for his contribution to
my progress in Odissi dance and I feel blessed to have learned under
his mentorship. May his soul rest in peace.
About the author:
Rohini Dandavate holds a doctoral degree in Cultural Policy and Arts Administration
from The Ohio State University. She received training in Odissi dance in Kala Vikash
Kendra, Cuttack from Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Guru Raghunath Dutta and Guru
Ramani Ranjan Jena.

Rohinis work spans in the areas of Performance, Arts Administration, Art Education
and Cultural Policy. As an artist in the Arts Learning Program of the Ohio Arts Council,
she conducts workshops and lecture demonstrations in Odissi dance for students and
audiences in educational and community institutions. Her projects are designed to
provide audiences a window to observe, explore and relate to diverse cultures
through the experience of the arts. Her papers and articles discuss issues in dance
education, arts administration and cultural policy. She has produced multi media
learning resources which are available online on Createspace.com, an Amazon
company.