His Love for Gotipua Dance - A Traditional Dance form of Odisha

It is often said that follow your passion but very few are allowed to do it. A student of standard V in Government Kapoteshwar High School in Raghurajpur, Puri, Jyotiranjan joined the Padmashri Guru Magunidas Gotipua Gurukula Niketan (dance academy) to learn Gotipua at the age of seven. He already has to his credit over 20 performances in various cities of Odisha, including Puri and Bhubaneshwar, as well as metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata.

Gotipua, a traditional dance form has an important place in the culture of Odisha. It is performed by young boys and involves a range of acrobatic moves – right from handstands to human pyramid.

Jyotiranjan wants to put this dance form on the world map so that it does not disappear like several other traditional dance forms in the country. His long-term plan is to master the dance form and help to promote it all over the world by teaching others. “If we do not save these dance forms, there will come a day when no one will know about them,” he says innocently. At present, he is happy that it gives him an opportunity to travel to different parts of the country. The dance also gives him an exposure to the world outside the heritage town of Raghurajpur.

Short film on Jyotiranjan Das - Gotipua Dancer

His family is based in Puri. His father Nalinikanta Das works as a priest, while his mother Sailabaila is a homemaker. Jyotiranjan lives in the hostel facility provided by the dance academy which eases the burden on the family. Here children wake up 4 am and begin their dance practice which goes on for two hours. After practice, they do their homework and leave for school. The academy also takes care of their students’ breakfast and dinner, while Akshaya Patra an NGO in Odisha takes care of their lunch at the school.

Jyotiranjan says he likes coming to school because he gets to learn about different things in life and also play kho-kho and kabaddi with his friends. As for academic learning, he enjoys Odiya literature. He also likes environmental science and geography as they give information about the nature, planet, different countries, etc.

The 10-yr-old Jyotiranjan is confident that he will make it big in the world of Gotipua and to a great extent, his confidence stems from the exposure he has got over the course of time. As for his parents, they want him to focus on both – dance and academics and make a name for himself all over the world.

Currently, Akshaya Patra’s school lunch programme feeds over 1.6 million children in 13,800+ schools across 12 states of India. We have to make sure that no child suffers from malnutrition and can have a bright life. You can be a part of this journey and your donation can transform life of a child. You can donate for education in India by choosing to sponsor a child or more!

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Dancing Towards Her Ambitions - Akshaya Patra Beneficiary

The Food for Education programme by The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO in Surat, feeds the dreams of 1,43,293 children in 337 schools in the city. Among these dreams is that of Divya Chandrakar, an 11-year-old Akshaya Patra beneficiary studying in Std VI in Shri Baba Amte Primary School, Surat. This young lady wants to be a figure in elegance and become a dancer. 

Like many of her counterparts, Divya’s interests are varied, from academics to co-curricular activities. She also likes to participate in competitions such as drawing and dance contests and Sports Day. “At school, we can study, play, learn new things and have nutritious meals,” says Divya, the daughter of a house painter father and a mother who works in a paper mill. There are numerous children like her, who receive a mid-day meal in Surat to power the pursuit of their aspirations and keep them in school.

Divya is fond of the food served in her school as part of the Foundation’s school lunch programme. The names of several items on the menu are on the tip of her tongue and she delightfully lists khichdi, roti, Naan Khatai and more! Her favourite dish is Dal Chawal.  She concludes, “Some of us don’t get food from home and can’t afford to eat outside, so the food provided by Akshaya Patra is important to us. Without it, we’ll feel hungry and won’t be able to study. It is this food that gives me the energy to concentrate and the enthusiasm to dance.”

Read her full story at: Stories of Children

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