Sharmila Mukerjee

A disciple of late Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra since 1984, Ms. Mukerjee moved to Bangalore in 2004 from Calcutta after her husband was transferred in his job. M s. M ukerjee runs her own Odissi center in Bangalore and performs both solo and with her group. S he b eli eves that all different gharanas should be presented in one platform so that people know the differences in the styles and students should be able to choose which one they want to learn to keep all the different gharanas of the great gurus alive even after they are no more. She is also keen to organize a 2 day Bangalore workshop in Odissi talas and seeks input and collaboration.

Sharmila Mukerjee made her debut in 1982 as "Prakriti" in Rabindranath Tagore’s dance ballet-"Chandalika"which was staged in Calcutta during the poet’s birth anniversary celebrations. However, it was the grace and lyrical beauty of Odissi that attracted Sharmila to this dance form and in 1984 she started her rigorous and intensive training u nder the tutelage of Padma Vib hushan Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra in Cuttack,Bh ubaneswar and Calcutta. Since then, Sharmila has participated in various productions choreographed and directed by Guruji, including the role of Chandrabali in Tagore’s dance drama "Bhanushinger Padabali" which was staged in New Delhi’ s Kamani Auditorium under the aegis of Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1987.

Sharmila’s diligence and grace soon captured the attention of critics and connoisseurs of dance leading her to establish herself as one of the finest exponents of Odissi in India. Having won the title of Singar Mani from the Sur Singar Samsad, (Bombay), she is also a grade A artist of Doordarshan and an established artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

Some of her performances include:

• Kal Ke Kalakar Sangeet Sammelan (Bombay) -1988
• Dover lane Music Conference (Calcutta) -1989
• Jhankar Music Conference (Calcutta) -1990
• Youth Festival-Sangeet Natak Akademi (Trivandrum) -1993
• Salt Lake Music Conference (Calcutta) -1996
• Vrindavan Festival (Uttar Pradesh) -1998
• Uday Shankar Dance Festival (Calcutta) -1999 and 2002
• Deccan Festival (Hyderabad) -2002
• India International Centre (New Delhi) - 2003
• IRCEN (New Delhi) -2005
• Pallovutsav ( Mysore) -2005
• Kinkini Festival (Bangalore) -2006
• Damaru Mahotsav(Bangalore) -2006
• Brahmotsav (Iskcon Temple-Bangalore)- 2006
  

Performances abroad include

• Italy -1997
• U.S.A. (on a scholarship to the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor) -2000
• Fiji, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand (ICCR tour)- 2003
• Turkey (ICCR tour as part of a trio representing Odissi with Bharatnatyam and Kathak) -2004
• Dubai (Sponsored by the Indian Consulate) -2006

She is well known for her lecture demonstrations on Odissi dance and has conducted many at various consulates in Calcutta, University of Michigan (U.S.A.), Auckland University (New Zealand), and Bangalore University.

She has performed before His Royal Highness, the Duke of Kent when he was on a visit to India,organised by the British Deputy High Commission (Calcutta) in 1994.

A teacher of Odissi dance as well,Sharmila was a faculty member of the Calcutta School of Music from 1991 –2004. She was also Secretary of the Indian Music Section of this institution to look after its administrative side.

After shifting to Bangalore in 2004, Sharmila now teaches Odissi at her own institute-Sanjali and Dance and Movement at the Sheila Kothwala Institute for the Deaf.

For More about Sharmila Mukerjee, visit her at her website

You can reach Sharmila Mukerjee at
sharmila_mukerjee@yahoo.co.in