NCPA Utkarsh Series – Sri Geet Govindam

The Divine  Love Song of Jayadeva.
A lecture demonstration by Odissi dance exponent Ranjana Gauhar

Smt. Ranjana Gauhar  is a renowned dancer, choreographer and scholar who was awarded the prestigious Padmashree by the President of India in 2003 and the National Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2007. She has also received numerous accolades for her contribution in the field of Indian Classical dance.

Celebrating the beautiful season of love on this Valentine’s day, 14th February we wish to present a lecture demonstration from one of the most iconic and popular classical texts in Indian literature Shri Jaydev’s Geet govinda. Geet govinda is one of the most popular verses on the eternal devotional love story of Krishna and Radha which was written as part of the Bhakti movement in India in 12th century by the poet Jayadeva.  This text has been translated into most Indian and European languages and is equally popular in the field of miniature paintings as well as in Classical Indian music both Hindustani and Carnatic. This anthology of lyrical couplets forms an integral part of Odissi classical dance tradition and hence we have chosen an Odissi artiste for this lecture. It’s interesting to note that till today the verses of Geet Govinda are sung inside the famed Lord Jagannath temple of Puri, Orissa by priests as a lullaby to put  Lord, Jagannath (who is considered as a form of Lord Krishna), to bed at night.

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