Abdul
Gani
Guwahati:
When the curtains go up on the ‘greatest show on earth’ in London on July 25,
an Assam-born dancer is all but set for her grandest performance in the opening
ceremony of the Olympic Games. The twinkle-toed Sonali Acharjee — a Guinness
record-holder Odissi dancer born and brought up in Assam — revealed here on
Thursday that the Olympic organisers have contacted her for a possible
performance during the opening ceremony. Sonali’s name is written in the
Guinness Book of World Records for dancing over 25 hours at a stretch. She was
born in Hailakandi in Barak Valley but is a resident of Hyderabad now after her
marriage. She runs a dance academy at Hyderabad.
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| Sonali Acharjee with the certificate. Pic by: Bitopan Borborah |
“The organizing committee (of the Olympics) is in
touch with the Guinness authorities. So, hopefully, I will be able to perform
in the opening ceremony of the Olympics. It would be great for the country, for
dance lovers and for everybody if it happens,” she said. Over the years, the
opening ceremony of the Olympics has turned out to be a spectacular event, for
its grandiose scale as well as special effects. It is also one of the most
watched events on television with an estimated audience of nearly four billion
across the world.
During her interaction with newsmen, Sonali said that
her Guinness record performance took place on February 1 and 2 this year.
Performed by 25 members, the longest Rabindra Dance marathon ran for 25 hours
and 25 minutes non-stop at the Rabindra Bharati in Hyderabad. “I’m happy and
thankful to those who have made it possible,” she said. The troupe performed
the four most celebrated ballets of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore —
Chitrangada, Chandalika, Shyama and Bhanu Singher Padavali.
The performance, which was choreographed by Sonali
herself, included musical components composed by Tagore and was presented in
seven Indian classical dance forms in seven languages.
Besides artistes from West Bengal, Assam, Tripura,
Meghalaya, Manipur, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, several dancers from countries
like France Germany, Japan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also took part in the
performance.
“I played the lead role while performing all the
four ballets while the rest of the members of the troupe supported me,” she
said.
She further said to change roles in the allotted 18
seconds between the dances was really tough during the 25 hours and 25 minutes.
The Odissi dance exponent has been honoured with the
Nrityacharya Award in Assam, and “Pratibha Puraskar” in Chennai in 2010.
She is now preparing to break into the next level of
Guinness book of world records. “I’m planning a performance through a fusion of
folk dances of Assam and Andhra Pradesh. I will organise the event in Assam if
I get proper support from the Assam government. There is also another
performance in mind as a tribute to Lord Balaji.”
She is also nurturing a dream to open a dance
institute in Assam to share her experience with the youngsters of the state.
However, her biggest dream is the possible Olympics performance. And it will be
worth a gold medal for a performing artiste. (Seven Sisters Post)
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