Dhaneswar Swain Explained

Dhaneswar Swain
Native Name:ଧନେଶ୍ୱର ସ୍ୱାଇଁ
Honorific Prefix:Badyashree Guru
Instrument:Mardala
Occupation:Odissi Mardala (Odissi music) Guru and exponent, composer, scholar
Genre:Odissi music
Birth Place:Nahantara, Puri, Odisha
Birth Date:1953 5, df=yes
Birth Name:Dhaneswar Swain
Native Name Lang:or

Dhaneswar Swain (; born May 18, 1953) is an exponent and Guru of the Odissi Mardala, the traditional percussion instrument of Odissi music. He is known for his rhythmic compositions and fingering techniques, as well as his efforts to promote solo Mardala recitals and group presentations combining traditional percussive instruments from Odisha.[1] [2] He founded Vadya Vani Gurukula, an institution for training and research in Odissi Mardala, and other traditional Odisha percussion instruments.[3] [4]

Born in the village of Nahantara in the Puri district of Odisha to Sambhunatha Swain and Kanchana Swain, he received his initial training in the Mardala from his elder brother Bhramabara Swain. He then joined the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya in 1970 and trained under renowned Gurus Singhari Shyamsundar Kar and Banamali Maharana. He also learned from Guru Mahadev Rout.[5] After working with the renowned Odissi danseuse Sonal Mansingh for a year, in 1979, he joined the Mahavidyalaya as a Mardala teacher and worked there for over three decades. After retirement, he is engaged in teaching students at the Ramhari Das Odissi Gurukula, Biragobindapur, Puri district. Through SPIC MACAY, Guru Swain has taken Odissi Mardala to many educational institutions across the country.

He has accompanied Odissi music recitals. He has also accompanied Odissi dancers since the 1980s, traveling as the primary percussionist and performing all over India and in the United States, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Finland, China, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Jordan, Israel, and Dubai.

Swain is known for his pioneering efforts in order to present the Mardala as a solo instrument in its own right,[6] and he has given Mardala recitals at various prestigious forums across the country, such as the Rajarani music festival, Konarka Natyamandap, Sankat Mochan Festival, Haridas Sangeet Samaroh, All India Radio Sangeet Sammelan and Sangeet Sandhya at the India Habitat Centre. He is an A-grade artist for Doordarshan and All India Radio.

He is known for his rhythm compositions for Odissi dance and has created music for a number of choreographic works such as Panchadeva Stuti, Dasamahavidya, Yuge Yuge Jagannatha, Sristi o Pralaya, Sapta Tala, Mana Madhuri, Gita Govinda, Tala Madhurya, Sabda Nrutya, Abartana Bibartana, Badya Madhuri, Jagyansenu, Varsha Abhisara, Krupanidhana, etc. He has composed the rhythm for multiple pallavis such as Kamodi, Kedara Kamodi, Mukhari, Debagandhari, Chandrika Kamodi, Anandabhairabi, Sankarabharana, Madhyamadi, Arabhi, Bakulabharana, Hansakalyani, Hansadhwani, Khambaja, Ragesri, Bajrakanti, etc. Apart from this, a CD of his rhythmic compositions titled Vadya Vani, comprising three traditional instruments of Odisha namely Mardala, Mrudanga and Khanjani, has received appreciation from connoisseurs of tala. He has published research articles and conducted several workshops on the Mardala.[7]

He has been honored for his work with the title Badyashree conferred by the Utkal Sahitya Kala Parishad in 1999.

For his contributions to Odissi music and Odissi Mardala, he received the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2008 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2013.

Articles

Listed below are some research articles authored by Guru Dhaneswar Swain. He is presently authoring a book on Mardala, soon to be published.

Awards and recognitions

See also

References

  1. Web site: Dhaneswar Swain. 7 December 2020. Sangeet Natak Akademi.
  2. Web site: Nicodemus. Paul. 10 October 2020. Dhaneswar Swain: A Maestro of Odissi Mardal. 2020-12-07. The Dance India. en-US.
  3. News: Vidyarthi. Nita. 2014-02-06. His own beat. en-IN. The Hindu. 2020-12-07. 0971-751X.
  4. Web site: Chakra. Shyamhari. 2020-11-23. The missionary mardal maestro. 2020-12-07. The Samikhsya. en-US.
  5. News: Chakra. Shyamhari. 24 January 2014. Maestro of the 'mardal'. The Hindu.
  6. Web site: Chakra. Shyamhari. 6 September 2020. Rare honour for Odishi Mardal. 2020-12-07. The Pioneer. en.
  7. Web site: Chakra. Shyamhari. 2020-09-04. Moment of Victory for Odissi Mardal. 2020-12-07. The Samikhsya. en-US.
  8. Web site: 12 June 2019. Guru Debaprasad Das Award for Guru Dhaneswar Swain. 2020-12-07. Odisha360. en-US.

External links