By Niladry Sarkar/Mayurbhanj, Odisha
Sandhya Rani Tudu’s dreams found wings this year. The 19-year-old travelled to France to represent India in the FISU World University Championships Rugby Sevens.
Sandhya was born in the quaint village of Radhikasole in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj, a tribal district bordering West Bengal and Jharkhand. Her rugby journey began when she was in class six. All Sandhya wants is to make it to the senior national team and land a state government job. She knows it is no lofty dream; her elder sister Jyotsna excelled in swimming and secured a state government job.
The Tudu sisters may seem an exception in a tribal hamlet, but they are just one among the several success stories at Future Stars Sports Academy (FSSA) in Baripada, the district headquarters. This hub, under the patronage of Dibyaranjan Das, is one of the few centres in Mayurbhanj that offers training in rugby, archery and swimming to spirited teenagers.
Rashmi R.L. Bhanj Deo | Salil Bera
Das, who was a physical trainer at a government school, founded the FSSA in 2017 at the Mayurbhanj Law College ground with just five students. He had one goal―engage children across Mayurbhanj, where 58 per cent of the population belongs to the scheduled tribes, in sports. Athleticism was in their genes, he realised; all they needed was proper training and diet to excel at rugby, a body contact sport. Eventually, he introduced archery, which is traditionally associated with the tribals of the region, and swimming. Over the years, many of his students, including those from other communities, have excelled in national and international competitions. Take, for instance, Kartik Soren from Jhilirbani village. The 20-year-old started training in archery only two years ago and has already competed in three state-level tournaments and the National University Games, representing North Odisha University. Today, more than 50 athletes are training at the academy. “I wanted to give children who came from an underprivileged background an opportunity to make their lives better through rugby and other sports,” said Das, 32, a former student of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences.
But then, he was blindsided by Covid-19. And, the future of his Future Stars Sports Academy itself appeared bleak. In 2022 though, FSSA got a leg up from the Mayurbhanj Foundation, run by the royal family of the erstwhile princely state of Mayurbhanj. The foundation began supporting FSSA by covering the travel expenses for athletes like Tudu, who were competing outside the district and state. Now, it offers monthly financial support to the academy.
“The FSSA is supporting many boys and girls, some of whom have gone on to represent India. We thought it was important to support the academy because they are also encouraging girls to come forward,” said Rashmi R.L. Bhanj Deo, 55, wife of the 47th (titular) king of Mayurbhanj, Praveen Chandra Bhanj Deo. Rashmi cofounded the foundation with her third daughter Akshita M. Bhanj Deo, 31. Akshita is a national-level equestrian sportsperson, and it was her interest in sports that laid the foundation to the royal family’s association with FSSA.
All play: Children playing rugby at Future Stars Sports Academy in Baripada | Salil Bera
The Bhanja dynasty had been ruling Mayurbhanj since 697 CE and remained rulers of the princely state till Maharaja Pratap Chandra Bhanj Deo decided to merge with Odisha in 1949. The royal family has a chequered past―even as it worked towards the betterment of its tribal subjects, there were also multiple instances of oppression, sometimes tragically resulting in fatalities. But the current generation of royals, particularly Akshita and her sister Mrinalika M. Bhanj Deo, 33, have resolved to harness their resources for the upliftment of the local communities, especially artisans.
Weaving magic: Women making handicraft using sabai grass | Salil Bera
It all began with Mrinalika opening up their royal residence―the Belgadia Palace―to the public. Guests from across the world visit the now luxury boutique hotel and witness the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Mayurbhanj’s tribal communities. “The idea was to create a fund to support artisans,” said Rashmi. “It is not just a part of our corporate social responsibility, but we feel this is our duty to give back to the society.”
Just like with FSSA, it is lending a helping hand to organisations that are already working with local artisans. One such artisan is Deeptirekha Deo, a member of the Badsole Sabai Production Group. On most days, one will catch Deeptirekha, a mother of three, earnestly weaving a cupholder or another item from sabai grass. Crafting goods from sabai grass is a traditional art form in Odisha and West Bengal. These eco-friendly crafts demand immense patience and intricate skills from the artisans.
The Badsole Sabai Production Group is an all-women self-help collective that came into being in 2014. The Odisha government trained the women to transform the humble sabai grass into exquisite handicrafts. In the initial days, the group depended solely on the Odisha Rural Development & Marketing Society, an autonomous entity under the state’s panchayati raj department, for orders. Now, they also have a patron in the Mayurbhanj Foundation, which connects them with foreign tourists visiting the Belgadia Palace. Moreover, the foundation encourages women artisans to venture beyond Odisha to attend exhibitions and fairs, funding their travel expenses. It has also helped expand their range of products to flower vases, shopping bags, mats and wall hangings.
“Maharani has also taught us how to use smartphones,” said Deeptirekha, who earns around 06,000 per month. “Today, we receive orders on WhatsApp. We send our buyers photos of the product and they place the order and even make payments online.”
Target practice: Children practising archery at Future Stars Sports Academy in Baripada | Salil Bera
The foundation also works in collaboration with other heritage hotels, especially from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, where the royals have family connections. It connects the artisans with the hotels, facilitating orders and ensuring that the quality of the products are not compromised and they are delivered on time.
“Quality is very important,” said Rashmi. “Someone might make a one-time purchase for charity’s sake. They will return if the quality is good. We also work with the self-help groups by sharing with them design ideas and colour combinations from across the world and ask them to make the products accordingly.” She also draws inspiration from the West Bengal government, which, under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has been a leader in empowering women sabai grass artisans through self-help groups.
The Mayurbhanj Foundation also supports the Dhokra art form, a venerable tradition of the Dhokra Damar tribes, that harks back to the Bronze Age. In this ancient craft, artisans create a sculpture from cow dung and red clay, coat it with wax and pour molten metal. Once cooled, the clay is gently removed, revealing detailed brass or bronze sculptures.
The art form was severely hit during the pandemic for lack of buyers. “People are not taking up this work because it doesn’t pay us as much. Earlier, most of the households in my village used to practice Dhokra. But now only 15-20 families do so,” Gopal Dhokra, an artist from Kuliana village, told THE WEEK. The foundation initially came to his village to provide food during the pandemic, he recalled. “Now I get occasional orders from the palace,” he said. “Sometimes, guests visit us in our village. It has given us some kind of financial backing.”
But Mayurbhanj’s most celebrated art form is its rendition of the Chhau dance. The semi-classical dance, with a beautiful blend of martial and folk traditions, is distinguished by three separate styles, each named after its place of origin: the Purulia Chhau of West Bengal, the Seraikella Chhau of Jharkhand and the Mayurbhanj Chhau of Odisha. The Mayurbhanj version stands apart from the other two as it is performed by dancers without masks.
The dance was transformed into the traditional Ramlila performance during the reign of Maharaja Jadunath Bhanj Deo (1823-1863). It flourished further under Maharaja Krishna Chandra Bhanj Deo (1868-1882). The dancers were divided into two troupes, the ‘Uttar Sahi’ (north colony) and the ‘Dakshin Sahi’ (south colony). The grand spectacle of Chhau during the Chaitra Parva festival became a beloved tradition as the gates of the Belgadia Palace would be open for all during the festival days.
The subsequent rulers kept nurturing and developing the art form, weaving themes and storylines from the Ramayan, Mahabharat, Krishna cult and the Puranas. After Mayurbhanj became a part of Odisha, Chhau’s prominence declined because of the loss of royal patronage. In 2018, Project Chhauni, an initiative of the Mayurbhanj district administration, identified 212 organisations and 12,000 dedicated artistes to rekindle the lost splendour of Chhau. Mayurbhanj Foundation partnered with Project Chhauni and hosted cultural programmes at the Belgadia Palace. And that has helped artistes like Sachin Dhada, an autorickshaw driver by day, who hails from a family of Chhau dancers. “For every show at the Belgadia Palace, dancers like me earn Rs800,” says the 35-year-old. “During peak season, which is in the winter months, we do 10-12 shows a month.”
Dhada recalls how the dance form was passed down to him by the elders in his family, who knew it in their hearts that it won’t sustain his family of nine. But he dreams of a future where his children can proudly wear their art on their sleeves.