Satriya by Anita Sharma

The DVD on Satriya from Invis Multimedia has Ms. Anita Sarma introducing you to the simple, yet elegant classical dance form of Satriya through her renditions of Nandi and Ram Varnan. Nandi’ means prayers of kings, deity, and brahman recited in verse at the opening of a drama. This dance is a prayer to avoid uncertainities. Ram Varnan starts with Chali Nach, which is one of the most characteristic forms of Satriya Dance, followed by Ram Vandana.

The dance Satriya has its origin in the island of Majuli, situated in the middle of the mighty Brahmaputra River in Assam, the northeastern state of India. This dance form was introduced by Srimanta Shankar Dev of the Vaishnavite sect to propagate their religion. The name Satriya is derived from Satra, the monastery of the Vaishnavite sect. Like most other classical dance forms, Satriya too is based on the Natya Sasthra, the detailed, ancient treatise in Sanskrit on dramatic art forms written by sage Bharatha. The Satriya dance comprises Guru vandana, Ramdani and Geet abhinaya. Guru vandana and Ramdani are performed without the accompaniment of any musical instruments. Maniram Dutta Muktiyar Borbayan was the first person to bring this art form to the centre stage. Satriya represents the culture and tradition of not just the inhabitants of Majuli but the entire region of Assam.

The DVD on Satriya from Invis Multimedia has Ms. Anita Sarma introducing you to the simple, yet elegant classical dance form of Satriya. Anita Sarma is one of Guru Jatin Goswami’s senior most disciples and has emerged as one of the frontline exponents of Satriya.

Compositions

1.Nandi
2.Ram Varnan