Kalpodip - A Tune Of Indian Classical Dance

This is the first post about an organization-Kalpodip, director Smt. Pompi Paul who believes in Indian Culture and Heritage. Kalpodip maintains the spirit of Indian Classical Dance and Music and educates the new generations about our rich culture.

It is a cultural organization in the Jalpaiguri district. The district is situated in the northern part of West Bengal and has international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh in the North and South respectively and borders with Assam and Darjeeling hills in the East, West, and Northwest. Kalpodip is dedicated to enhancing, nurturing the Indian Classical Dance form called Odissi.

Ms. Pompi Paul is trying wholeheartedly about the popularity and maintain the heritage of Indian culture, Indian Classical Dance and Music in her native place, Jalpaiguri.
Since 2012 Kalpodip is organizing an Indian Classical Dance Music Festival called ‘Kalpodip Utsav’ in Jalpaiguri.

In 2015 and 2016 the 3rd and 4th Kalpodip Utsav had been sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India. The performing troupe of Kalpodip has been performing in different programs and festivals like Naveen Kalakar Festival 2015 at Bhubaneswar, 5th Odissi International 2014 at Bhubaneswar, Dooars Festival at Alipur Duar, Uttar Banga Festival, World Dance Day Program, Youth Festival, Basanta Utsav, Program Organized By Jalpaiguri Doordarshan at Jalpaiguri, Bharat Bangla Desh Milan Mela Festival at Jalpaiguri, 150th Birth Anniversary of Thakur Panchanan Barma at Kholishamari, Coochbihar, etc. since 2009 Kalpodip organizes various seminars, workshops on Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Yoga, and Contemporary Dance for the students to learn different dance techniques and dance items intensively. Some important festivals where Kalpodip participated and honoured like Sri Jaydev Samaroho 2015 in Bhubaneswar, Nritya Mela 2016 in Kolkata, World Tourism Day Festival 2016 in Siliguri, Navodit Festival 2016 in Jalpaiguri, Namoni Ram Festival 2016 in Jalpaiguri.

The junior batch of Kalpodip got the first position in the Sishu Kishor Utsav 2015 group classical dance competition organized by State Information and Cultural Department W. B. and performed at Kushmandi, North Dinajpur, W.B. Beside that in the solo dance category Ritu Sengupta, Shibam Ghosh, Soupal Das, Susmita Roy and Chandrima Day got Odissi Joti and Rahul Roy got Odissi Sree Title in the Naveen Kalakar Festival at Bhubaneswar. In 2016 the promising students are awarded Odissi Jyoti like Soumili Dey, Saptorshi Sarkar, and Avijit Das. Odissi Sree award for Mampi Paul, Moumita Paul, Nayanika Das.

Ms. Pompi Paul is a research scholar in Dance pursuing from Rabindra Bharati University. She passed M.A. in Dance with 1st class from Rabindra Bharati University with a specialization in Odissi dance. She started to learn at the age of four. She received several awards like “Guru Muralidhar Majhi Smriti Samman”, “Nritya Vilasini”, “Padmavati Prativa Puraskar”, “Nritya Mani” and so on. She was a national scholarship holder in Odissi in 2009 and ranked first in the Odissi Nritya competition organized by the West Bengal Information Culture department in 2007. She ranked first in the Odissi dance competition in the student youth festival, 2008.

Ms. Pompi Paul performed Indian Classical Dance not only in West Bengal but also throughout India like Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai, and so on. She performed at The Indian House, Department of Youth and Sports Auditorium, Royal Institute of Management (RIM) Auditorium in Thimphu, Bhutan in 2014 during the celebration of Independence Day of India which was sponsored by ICCR.

She had successfully performed and choreographed in the “JATRA” project staged on 23rd August 2013 and also guided an Odissi and Folk Dance Workshop from 12th August to 22nd August 2013, organized by TAAL and The Cultural House, MDK BATORY, CHORZOW, POLAND.
She performed with the renowned group of London “TAGORENS” in the Tagore 150 years Birthday celebration at BHAVAN CENTRE, LONDON, UK, on 27th March 2011.
She performed in “DANCERS’ PLATFORM 2011” organized by ODISSI COLLECTIVE UK at BHARATIYA VIDYA BHAVAN UK on 13th March 2011.

She had successfully performed and choreographed in the “DURGA PUJA” project organized by The Cultural House, MDK BATORY, CHORZOW, POLAND, and also Guided an Odissi and Semi-Classical Dance Workshop from 20th September to 17th October 2008.

She had successfully performed in “SEBA UTSAV” at MYMENSINGH in BANGLADESH in February 2008.
She is a regular performer in government and private electronics media. She is working at Rabindra Bharati University as a lecturer. She represents the new generation of modern Odissi Dance with an interest in refining the grammar, idiom, and repertoire of Odissi yet integrating aspects of Indian Performing Arts that have been unexplored by the previous generation of dancers.