RDM Studio

Lineage

Guru Shishya Parampara

Guru means the one who leads you from darkness to light. Nilanjana firmly believes that dance is an art form where instruction is not just handed down from Guru to disciple. Instead, the teacher is the guiding light who illuminates the path as the pupil takes her own tentative steps in this journey. 

Nilanjana strictly adheres to this ancient tradition. She has been learning with her Guru Mitra for the past 20 years. On her visits to Kolkata she has trained with her Lineage Guru Nrityacharya Muralidhar Majhi. With his blessings under Guru Mitra’s supervision she further studied the Adigurus repertoire with his son Guru Sarat Kumar Das & Guruma Suhag Nalini Das.

Guru Mitra Purkayastha is the torchbearer of Guru Muralidhar Majhi who brought Odissi to Kolkata in the 70’s. Mitra established Rhythms of dance & music in 1986 in New Jersey. She is a well loved & respected personality in the Indian community. She received the Nrityangani Mahari award for her contribution to Odissi. 

Nrityacharya Muralidhar Majhi was a disciple of Adiguru and was instrumental in bringing Odissi to the city of Kolkata. For his invaluable contribution to the world of art, Guru Muralidhar Majhi received the prestigious Padmashree and Sangeet Natak Academy Award from the Government of India.

Adiguru Pankaj Charan Das was the master Guru of Odissi credited with bringing this dance out of the temple. He is credited with teaching the first generation of Gurus. Some of his dance pieces date back several centuries.

RDM MENTOR

RDM Mentor Sukalyann Bhattacharya is a world renowned dancer and movie choreographer. Nilanjana has trained intensively with him for over 15 years and worked under his direction in many big budget productions at Atlantic City and Madison Square Garden, New York City.