Utsav Educational & Cultural Society – an NGO founded by Ranjana Gauhar- Padmashree and SNA Awardee – organized a dance performance by talented Odissi dancer Vinod Kevin Bachan who hails from Trinidad and Tobago. His performance on ‘Sutra – The Tales That Never Ends’ was held on 21 December 2022 at 7:00 PM at The Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, Delhi.
Bachan, an old disciple of the illustrious Ranjana Gauhar, stands tall among the exponents of Odissi. He is a former Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Fellow and an Empowered Artist of ICCR and All India Dancers Association. With his vivacity, confidence and graceful dancing, Bachan will set the stage alive with his performance choreographed ‘SUTRA’ under the direction of Ranjana Gauhar.
Ranjana Gauhar said, “Because Kevin Dance is beyond the physical…it’s a spiritual connection with the divine.”
Vinod Kevin Bachan said: “Sutra- as a presentation was born by my Guruji, her support, love and care throughout the journey of creating this event is unimaginable.”
In general, he has performed two choreographies:
1. Rasa Rang – An anodiya based piece that showcased Krishna’s love ballet with Radha and her sakhis through dance in the forest. In the forest, they were coloring each other with their love by dancing among the flora and fauna in the forest.
2. Bhoomi Suta – These episodes are taken from the life of Sita in the Ramayana. It focused on Sita’s inner voice, her thoughts, feelings and emotions and how she dealt with every situation she was faced with.
Vinod Kevin Bachan entered the world of Odissi dance at the Nrityanjali theater in Trinidad and Tobago West Indies as a child. He first made his journey to Odisha to study this timeless art form under Deba Prasad Das of Odissi in Bhubaneswar for two years. As of now, he continues to be trained by his Guru Ranjana Gauhar. He has performed on various platforms in India and abroad and has received various awards and positive reviews for his performances. Bachan has also traveled to many countries like Grenada, Barbados, UK, Malaysia and Brazil and received various awards including Natya Mayaurm, Tarana Yuva Puruskar, Kala Shriumoni Award and Bharata Shastra Nritya Praveena and Nritya Shirmonai Samman. Recently, Bachan received the Ustad Bismillah Yuva Puruskar for 2021. He has also received a scholarship under the Ministry of External Affairs – Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
Bachan has been the lead character in many of Ranjana Gauhar’s productions like Matsya Avatar, Chitrangada – The Warrior Princess, Khud Mein Kabir – Kabir Mein Hum, Om Namah Shivaya and Jhansi Ki Rani. He is also one of the main dancers and one of the senior teachers in the Utsav. Under the guidance of his teacher, he has also composed solo productions like ‘Bhoomi-Suta’ and ‘Rasa Rang’ along with several solo thematic presentations like ‘Arghyam’, ‘Nayika Ke Manobhaav’ and ‘Bhakti-Path to God’. “
