GUWAHATI: Drawn by the pull of Sattriya, a girl from Bangladesh came all the way to Assam to learn the dance form introduced by great Vaishnava saint Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva in the 15th century.
Farhana Yasmin (38), a resident of Dhaka in Bangladesh, has already learnt Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri and Kuchipudi classical dance forms.
Yasmin, who pursued her Masters in Odissi classical dance from Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) on Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarship and is currently pursuing PhD in performing arts from Sister Nivedita University in Kolkata, was introduced to Sattriya by her RBU senior and Kuchipudi dancer Biraj Roy. Increasing curiosity led her to get in touch with Golaghat's Sattriya teacher Sreemoyee Borah.
"Biraj Roy of Kolkata started learning the Sattriya dance in February 2020. Initially, he had to learn online as the Covid-19 pandemic broke out at that time. He introduced Yasmin to me and she approached me to teach her the dance form saying that she was eager to learn it," Borah said.
'Was always curious about Sattriya dance'
Saying that she is extremely happy to learn the dance form of Assam, Yasmin said, "Though I learnt four Indian classical dances, I was always curious to know about Sattriya dance and to learn it. It is so rich, lively and unique. The dance, singing, playing instruments and also doing drama in the dance form has made it extraordinary in the world."
Apart from learning the dance, she also played the role of Naagpatni in the Sankardeva's one act play 'Kaliyo Domon', which is about the story of Krishna and Kliya (a venomous Naga) as told in the sixteenth chapter of the Tenth Canto of the Bhagavata Purana.
"It was a bit difficult for me not only to learn the dance but also to act in the play as the entire thing was very new to me. Ma'am (Borah) guided me very well. However, I have enjoyed learning it and I feel blessed to learn about the creation of the great saint who contributed enormously in building the Assamese community as a whole," she said.
