THE GAME CHANGER TM | MARCH/APRIL <strong>2018</strong> 110
THE GAME CHANGER “Datuk Ramli and his dancers put on an exceptional show, a sensorial feast against the backdrop of the 13th century Sun Temple…” “ Odissi has become synonymous with me and the foundation because we have transformed a dance that was not known to one that is. Sutra is not a fringe company. It is a mainstream company that is able to conduct performances for a week. We were the first to do so when it was unheard of,” he says. His fame is not only confined to Malaysia. Sutra has performed in over 150 cities worldwide, including Carnegie Hall in New York City. In India, where it all began, he is a celebrated guest. In 2011, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi award for his contributions to Odissi, a prestigious honour in the arts that he shares with gurus such as Kelucharan Mohapatra and Debaprasad Das. [We are thrilled to find out that after this story was written, Datuk Ramli had received the Padma Shri award in January <strong>2018</strong>, one of the highest awards in India.] When Datuk Ramli Ibrahim performs in India, it makes the news. Stories of his troupe performing and of his Malaysian guests are in The Hindu. The Konark festival billboards, which features Datuk Ramli, are plastered all over the city. “ It’s a bit of an overkill,” he had modestly said to the Director of Odisha Tourism, who replied, “ But you rise to the occasion.” Sure enough, Datuk Ramli and his dancers put on an exceptional show, a sensorial feast against the backdrop of the 13th century Sun Temple, famous for sculptures frozen in Odissi poses (as well as ones of a more erotic nature). The production, ‘Ganjam’, which first premiered at Istana Budaya in 2015, is Sutra’s final collaboration with Dr Dinanath Pathy, who passed away in 2016. Datuk Ramli has known and collaborated with the Odisha artist and art historian for over 20 years, and it felt like a fitting tribute to perform the work in this hallowed space. The video of the performance, posted up on the Odisha Tourism’s Facebook page, had the highest number of views of the entire festival. After the show, the group has a late dinner at the outof-the-way Lotus Resort, an eco-resort in Puri by the Bay of Bengal. It has been a full day, followed by the emotional rush of the evening’s event, and everyone is visibly tired, including Datuk Ramli. Even so, he sits, ramrod straight, in the bus with the rest of us for the hour-and-a-half journey back to our hotel in Bhubaneswar. Tomorrow is another full day for him – including site visits, a talk and an interview – before he joins the rest of the group for Bollywood night. The razzmatazz of Bollywood is not for him, but he knows it is good for his dancers’ morale to have a bit of fun. Perhaps the constant go-go-go is taking a toll because Datuk Ramli says he hopes to take some time off soon. “ I hope to fall back a little bit next year, to rest so as to rejuvenate. I want to take a sabbatical. I feel I would function much better if I take some time out to reflect.” From India to Malaysia and all over the world, Datuk Ramli Ibrahim has long carried out the Herculean task of championing Odissi – so yes, he deserves a break. 111 MARCH/APRIL <strong>2018</strong> | TM