Though we belonged to a village in Puri, Orissa, I grew up in Cuttack, a town some sixty miles north. Puri is at the sea, Cuttack is sandwiched between two massive rivers. Puri is a center of pilgrimage with a long tradition of scholarship and analysis. Cuttack is a population center with trade and commerce. Puri encourages discipline and rituals, Cuttack has the spirit of freedom and populism. It is said that the traders and sailors traveled through the Cuttcak rivers to the sea in their voyages. They returned to various ports on the coast. Odissi classical dance developed in Puri through ritualistic exercises. Cuttack became a center of folk culture of entertainment and dramatics. Rivers were a mode of communication and Cuttack was well connected. Art forms from the interior hills found expression in Cuttack giving rise to a synthetic oDiA culture. The process has been brewing for thousands of years and has found its expression in designs, textiles, metal work, carvings and jewelry. The old Cuttack a thousand years ago must have been very interesting with its guilds of artists and craftsmen, fiercely independent and all supported by maritime trade and commerce.
I was walking on the road where these traders might have walked a thousand years ago marketing their products, taking orders, influencing local culture and trying to appreciate the local beauty and bounty. Legends exist that the young sailors would get married and would bring their brides back to Orissa. The anthropologic and genetic studies are not done. I do see the Oriya femininity in the Thai ladies. They are graceful and emotional. They are affectionate and friendly. Hospitality is their trait. I am not sure if hospitality is a byproduct of prosperity.
I was on my way to Silom Village Inn, a restaurant cum trade center near the Temple I visited in the morning. The dinner was at 7:30 PM with the Thai dance featured at 8:15. The program was called Ruen Thep in English, but must be sweeter in Thai. Thai is written in a continuous style, the phonetic prosody is a part of the expression. I bought the ticket and proceeded to the venue. Two young girls met me at the gate and most horrifyingly started talking Thai. In many interior places in India, they check the nativity of the person by using the local language. But I am supposed to be in a tourist center. I was told later that they were alerting me that "the drinks were not included in the ticket."
The girls took pity on my ignorance and guided me a to a man who asked me to deposit my shoes. Shoes are not allowed in the dining hall, which is a good practice to be observed in all dining etstablishments for the sake of health and hygiene. I entered a large hall mostly decorated in red and gold with place mats arranged in rows on tables with long covered benches on the sides. There could be a dozen rows each sitting about thirty persons. Being alone and somewhat late, I was given a seat on one of the side tables. The hall was graced by a twenty foot deep stage on one side. There was a musician playing a massive xylophone like instrument on a corner. The music was subdued but rhythmic. The person was old and seasoned.
The waiting staff in the dining hall were all men. They spoke English which relieved my anxiety. While they asked me about the drinks I explained my dietary habits and they said that they would accommodate. A few minutes later, porcelain plates were set up and the soup was served. The use of soup is vedic in in its origin, but is not used in Orissa or in Indian food system. I have not studied if it was a practice in earlier times. I do enjoy eating Indian dal if it is served separately as an entry item. The soup that was served had spouts in it and had some herbs. It was tasty.
More musicians have assembled on stage and there was an ensemble of drums, oboe and other small wind instruments. The sound got louder, the music area got more lighted. The noise in the dining hall had also increased. Many large tourist parties were showing up most were novice like me. Once all were somewhat settled, the stage lights were lit bright and brightly dressed dancers entered the stage from the wings. In Thai tradition, these are celestial dancers who drop down from the heaven. They bring the greetings from the sky and bless the audience. After their dance, they mingled with the audience to pose for pictures. A picture with a costumed dancer was supposed to be a tourist souvenir!
The plot dancers are called Khon, a word that needs investigation. They perform episodes from Ramaken, an adapted form of Ramayana. It is believed that the adaptation took place around fourteenth century AD, patronized by the royal court. The fascination to Rama would be an interesting piece of research. The dancers broadly fall into three parts. The human characters do delicate hand and finger movements with slow and fast steps as the story would demand. The animal chaaraters wore masks and had martial postures like Chhau in Orissa. The demonic characters had characteristic masks and would display muscular force and masculinity. The head-dresses of men and women had little carved pillars which seem to be the signature of the local architecture.
The particular episode played that night was the story of Hanuman locating Sita in Lanka. There was a voice over the music narrating occasionally. The Hanuman character was well done. I was told that Ramayana episodes are used to teach Buddhism to people. The subtle aspects could be hidden through the description. To do the "right thing" at any moment is the tenet of Buddhism. Krishna says to do the "duty." It is not clear if my visit to the dance theater is my "duty" as a fellow human being or the "right thing" or "neither!".
Food was served in courses. It was well seasoned and tasty. Unlike India, there was not much use of spices. Coconut was used, ginger could be felt Basil flavored the dishes. The ingredients were fresh, I liked. Bowls were brought in with warm water to clean the fingers. Tea was served. The dinner theater ended.
There was a melee to collect the shoes. The attendant somehow recognized me and gave me mine. Putting on the shoes, I climbed down the stairs and wandered through the shops and other decorated areas. It was a cultural experience. I trekked back to the hotel. The hotel attendants had come to know me. They escorted me to the elevator. I felt like having new friends!
