October 20-21, 2007
Leah Posluns Theatre
Toronto, Ontario

Devi was a celebration of the myriad forms of the Goddess (Shakti, Sati, Saraswati, Laxmi, Parvati, Durga, Bhoomi, Gayatri, Savitri, Gauri, Kali, etc.) and Her glorious aspects (Creator of the Universe, Nurturing Mother, Sacrificing Wife, Patroness of Art, Patroness of Wealth, Divine Wife, Great Mother, Earth Mother, Mistress of Vedic Knowledge, Terrifying Avenger, etc.). The individual pieces which constituted the content of the performance were united by the interwoven themes of rebirth, renewal, and growth.

Devi was a celebration of the myriad forms of the Goddess (Shakti, Sati, Saraswati, Laxmi, Parvati, Durga, Bhoomi, Gayatri, Savitri, Gauri, Kali, etc.) and Her glorious aspects (Creator of the Universe, Nurturing Mother, Sacrificing Wife, Patroness of Art, Patroness of Wealth, Divine Wife, Great Mother, Earth Mother, Mistress of Vedic Knowledge, Terrifying Avenger, etc.). The individual pieces which constituted the content of the performance were united by the interwoven themes of rebirth, renewal, and growth.

Namastasyei Maa inaugurated the performance with Chitralekha Patnaik and six young members of the performing unit consisting of Puja Hore, Sheena Bhattacharya, Paloma Guha, Paula Zaman, Nisha Chatterjee, and Nipa Chakraborti. All dancers robed in white Odissi costumes entered with candles and offered them to Lord Jagannatha. This piece was first presented at Tandava Lasya in 1998 as a trio with Chitralekha Patnaik, Ellora Patnaik, and Devraj Patnaik. It was composed by Bhubaneswari Mishra and choreographed by Devraj Patnaik. The devotees say, "O Warrior Goddess, you are the Ten Armed Goddess!"

Gati Bheda was first presented at Nrutya Utsav in 1997 with a live orchestra and cast of six dancers. This version featured Ellora Patnaik with a different cast of five dancers and the live orchestra consisted of Devraj Patnaik alone on the pakhawaj, playing the complex rhythms of 1.5, 3, 5, 7, and 9 beat pulses to a vocal karaoke of the 30 minute Pallavi. This Pallavi was composed by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra and choreographed by (the late) Padmabibhusan Guru Keluharan Mohapatra.

Naba Durga was a duet performed for the first time ever by Ellora Patnaik and her foremost exponent Amita Tanya Raha. The song pays tribute to the Goddess Durga in her nine glorious forms. The devotees say, "Victory to you, Mother Durga! Bestow a boon unto us!" This piece was composed by (the late) Sangeet Sudhakar Balakrushna Das and choreographed by (the late) Padmashri Pankaj Charan Das. After the intermission, the world premiere of Patha Chhaddide, a traditional Oriya Abhinaya choreographed and danced by Chitralekha Patnaik was presented as a solo. Radha pleads her beloved Krishna to leave her path so she may collect flowers from around the Yamuna River.

Specifically, the eponymous Devi item, Vande Devi Maataram, was at last presented in its proper entirety with reference to the six goddesses by Ellora Patnaik, Minakshi Natarajan, Ankita Sarker, Laxmi Parthasarathy, Shukla Fuad, and Mehreen Mujib. It was originally intended to honour: Gayatri, Savatri, Saraswati, Bhoomi, Gauri, and Kali. Each goddess was honoured with a raga, tala, and short pallavi, and portrayed by a specific individual dancer. This piece, composed and choreographed by Devraj Patnaik was first presented at Panchadeva in 2001 with five dancers for five Goddesses.