About Rahul

 

Rahul was born on 7 December 1982.

Student of Guru Shri Durga Charan Ranbir, Rahul started studying Odissi dance at the age of 4, attracted by a strong passion for the profoundly religious experience of traditional dance in  Jagannatha's culture.

He also studied Hatha and Raja Yoga at the Satyananda Yoga Vidyalaya, Bihar School of Yoga.

Together with his dedication for the traditional Indian culture, Rahul also cultivated his interest for modern science and obtained a Master of Sciences in Biotechnology .....

 

* Recipient of Junior Scholarship from Centre for Cultural Resources & Training, Dept. of Culture, Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Govt. of India, in 166

* Recipient of Senior Scholarship from Dept. of Culture, Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Govt. of

India, with effect from 1st February 2003.

* Empanelled Artist of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) since March 2003.

* Honorary member of Sacred Dance Guild, USA.

*Member of www.narthaki.com, the largest web based directory and website on Indian Classical

Dancing.

* Associate of Ramli Ibrahim at Sutra Dance Theatre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

* Member of the International Dance Council, CID, UNESCO.

* Member of the World Movement for Indian Fine Arts, Italy.

Rahul  is a Sanskrit scholar, lecturer and writer, researching in Jagannath Culture and contributing articles and essays for the Sacred Dance Guild Journal, USA and for www.narthaki.com.

He is a founding member of the Jagannatha Vallabha Vedic Research Center, Puri.

Ardent devotee of Jagannatha and Vedic scholar himself, Rahul Acharya  belongs to the family of the Raj Gurus of Lord Jagannatha in Puri.   He studies with his cousin Rabinarayana Rathasharma, the illustrious son of Late Padmashree Pandit Sadashiv Rathsharma.

Among his lectures:

* Lecture Demonstrations organized by SPIC MACAY at IIT, Kharagpur.

* Lecture demonstrations at premier national institutes like the Indian Institute of Technology

(IIT), Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), Bangalore.

* Lecture demonstrations at Shantiniketan, Vishwabharati University, West Bengal.

* Lecture demonstrations at Universities in Reunion Islands.

* Lecture demonstrations at Universidad Catolica Andres Bello, Caracas, Venezuela.

* Lecture demonstrations at Colegio Timoteo Aguire, Merida, Venezuela.

* Lecture demonstrations at Universidad de Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia.

* Lecture demonstrations at Incolballet, Cali, Colombia.

 

 

Address and

contact details:  

Shri Rahul Acharya

N-1/329, I.R.C. Village,Nayapalli,

Bhubaneswar-75101, Orissa

Mobile: +91 9937139047, 9937005008

Tel: +91 (0674) 2553882

Email: rahul_acharya@rediffmail.com

 

  

Transforming the soul through dance

The earth moves round the sun in a rhythm, the wind blows in a rhythm, the rain showers in a rhythm, every microscopic organism also has a rhythm. In this universe everything is based on rhythm. Without rhythm time has no definition. Mathematically, rhythm is nothing but the division of time. Therefore dance is the rhythm of life and living beings, i.e. dance or impulsive movements suggest the presence of life in an object.

While dancing, the dancer gets transformed from the material world to a deeply spiritual world thereby communicating with celestial beings. It is exactly the same in chemical sciences where atoms migrate from the ground state to an excited state to achieve conjugation. Indian dance deals with gods and thus the dancer feels one with the gods, undergoing this process of transformation. 

During this whole process of transformation that one undergoes, the dancer is changed as a person too. One becomes more disciplined, because such experiences require a long and thorough preparation with complete dedication. The person starts observing things differently. In everything one feels the presence of supernatural vibrations and sees a divine brightness everywhere. No matter what one does, the dancer is always in a state of ecstasy.  This is a stage of Bhakti or complete surrender to the Supreme Being. Wherever the mind goes, there it experiences Samadhi, for it does not find an object of enjoyment. God is filling every speck of space. The whole world is clothed with the glory of god. The saint and the sinner, the virtuous and the vicious, the good and the bad, the man and the animal, all are forms of god.

Dance as yoga and worship

Odissi dance evolved as a temple ritual of Lord Jagannatha at Puri. It was performed by the Maharis, virgins consecrated to divine service.

Dance is strictly connected with the Kundalini yoga, as explained in the Rudra Yamala, the Sarada Tilaka, and the  Soundarya Lahiri of Adi Sankara.

 

Performances:

In India:

 

* Puri Beach Festival, Puri, Orissa.....

* Konark Festival, Konark, Orissa....

* Programme organized by EZCC (Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre), Kolkata, West Bengal...

* Kalabharati Decennial Celebration, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh....

* Fete de Pondicherry 2001, Govt. of India.

* Pallavothsav 2000, Mysore.

* Nrityagram, Bangalore, Karnataka....

* India International Centre, New Delhi....

* Chennai Museum Theatre, Chennai....

* Ashram Theatre, Pondicherry....

* Bharat Niwas Auditorium, Auroville....

* Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi....

* Rabindra Kalakshetra, Bangalore....

* Nritya Prativa organized by Central Sangeet Natak Academy, Ranchi....

* National Centre for Performing Arts, NCPA, Mumbai.....

* Kalakshetra, Chennai....

* Dakshinachitra, Chennai. ...

* 8th National Festival of New Choreographies, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.....

* Performed for the Central Sangeet Natak Academy Award Ceremony 2006 for his Guru, Meghdoot Theatre, Ravindra Bhavan, New Delhi and Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra, Noida, UP.

 

In the world:

* Mauritius, Re-union Islands, France. Programmes organized by Indian Consulate in 2001.

* Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Germany, United Kingdom in programmes organized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in 2004.

* Performed in UN MUNDO PARAVER, 9th Iberoamerican Theatre Festival held in Bogota, Colombia in 2004.

* Performed at Sutra Dance Theatre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia upon invitation from Sutra Dance Theatre in 2005.

* Performed at Sarawak (Borneo, Indonesia) as part of Sutra Dance Theatre, organized by the Sarawak Music Society in 2005.

* Performed at Notthatbalai Art festival held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2005

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