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ODISSI-THE CLASSICAL DANCE OF ODISHA
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Description of our community
To the eastern coast of the Indian landmass, there lies a land of art… a land of culture… a land of festivals… a land of devotion… and a land of peace. It is a place decorated by forests, waterfalls, terraced valleys and darting springs; where nature unfurls her one of the most beauteous aspects. Often referred as the Soul of Incredible India, Odisha is a place endowed with rich and vibrant cultural heritage in the form of historical monuments, temples, monasteries, sculptures, traditional arts, music, dance and its peace-loving people. It is a destination which offers a visual feast for not only the inquisitive visitors but also a highly educative and culturally pleasing insight into one of the oldest civilizations of the world. We hail from Jaykaypur, a small town-let in the tribal district of Rayagada located to the south-west of this state. Our local community is a perfect blend of tribal societies and sophisticated industries. With the establishment of JK Paper Mills, Jaykaypur has emerged as a well-developed industrial area. The serene environment, modern culture and railway connectivity to all the metropolitan cities of India have brought in people from diverse communities. It has prompted this place to the edge of prosperity. There are so many diversities that the place may be called a Mini India. We are proud to be a part of this beautiful community.
Summary of our project
With the earnest honour and pleasure, we the students of LAKSHMIPAT SINGHANIA PUBLIC SCHOOL have come up with this Cyberfair project to provide an insight into one of the most famous classical dance forms of India- ODISSI through this website. Since ages, Dance has traditionally been an essential part of religion and culture in India. India is comprised of many different religions and regions, and hence has tremendous diversity in the expression of Dance. India has been enlightened with an abundance of rich cultural dance forms. Out of these, Odissi has significantly touched not only the heart of the Indians but also has been applauded at international standards. Odissi dance primarily originated from the temples of Odisha with the silent looks of idols. Odissi is a very complex and expressive dance, with a wide variety of symbolic gestures and body movements. Odissi is appreciated for its graceful, artistic and lyrical dance style. It is a perfect example of great body movements, expressions, and gestures. Being from Odisha, it is a matter of great pride to describe its native classical Dance and bring forth this project.
Internet and computer access
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Percentage of the student using the internet at home - 50%
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Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom - 4-6
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Connection speed used in the classroom - Dedicated connection
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Number of years your classroom has been connected to the internet - More than 6
“A good internet connection provided by the school helped us to collaborate with various community members while working on this project. With the help of a computer, we were able to collect various relevant information which helped us to accomplish our project on time.”
Problems we had to Overcome
Our project on Odissi dance was a challenging task that required in-depth knowledge of the subject matter, planning, care, and hard work. We were engrossed in the collection of materialistic requirements like costumes, various accessories related to this dance form, its soul-stirring posters and other clippings. We found it challenging to remain inclined towards this project during our examinations. We initially lacked proper communication within our teammates and teachers. Availability of sources involving the detailed history of Odissi dance was a cause of vexation.
Moreover, the 2019-20 pandemic of coronavirus (COVID- 19) led to significant social disruption, adversely affecting the progress of our work. On 16 March, our honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ordered the closure of all educational institutes throughout the nation. As a result, we were forced to work from our home. We handled this problem by collaborating among ourselves via Whatsapp communications. We tackled all these challenges with a sense of optimism which led to the success of our project.
Our project sound bite
A person without the knowledge of his tradition and culture is like a tree without roots. Today, in this era of modernization, our tradition has been watered down by western culture. The younger generations need to take pride in preserving their culture. This is the only way to revive our rich culture. Our project is an endeavour to promote a charming cultural classical dance – Odissi. This dance form must speak to the new generation its age-old yet superior tradition so that they realize the importance of culture. Our project serves as an astounding medium for classical dance to be seen as a way to define India's cultural identity. Let us build our culture on a solid rock that cannot be broken. Remember the Past, Create the Present, Inspire the Future!
How did your activities and research for this Cyber Fair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
Our project addresses high content and curriculum standards. It helped us learn new concepts, increase our thinking skills, learn how to do research and many more.
• It helped us to imbibe a sense of spirituality and honour for our culture within us.
• CBSE (central board of secondary education) has set some guidelines to acquaint the students with the literary and historical background of the Indian performing arts. Subjects like music and dance have been added to the school syllabus. The art disciplines of our regular curriculum helped us to relate to the historical accounts of Odissi.
• Besides the contents of the website, we learned to cooperate with others, work in detail, and become responsible. The experience of Cyberfair made the students initiative learners.
• Yes, using the Internet has been a more effective method than traditional methods as it gave a variety of options to explore and discover about whatever aspect we want to.
It was a pleasure for us to explore the details of Odissi from various aspects like, teachers, our curriculum, local artists and many students who were trained by Odissi dancers. Each one of us was able to understand how to gather and collect information, how to spread the values associated with Odissi in our community and school, how to enhance our social and technical expertise and a lot more. It was the biggest reward to us.
