Donning a 30-kg ‘medha’ with 11 different faces of Hanuman and carrying two ‘mudgars’, he portrayed the episode during the Sita Chori Niti of Sahi Jata on April 11. It began at Kundhei Benta Sahi and concluded at Dolamandap Sahi, with locals of both the Sahis and tourists bursting into applause at each of his expressive acts and nuanced dance moves. “My act also involved telling people the significance and direction of each face of Ekadasha-Mukhi Hanuman,” he said.

Apart from contributing to the Sahi Jata tradition, Bhanu has been aiming at reviving the acting aspect of it which he claims is slowly dying. Traditionally, dance practice for Sahi Jata begins in the eight Sahis two months before the festival. Unlike Ram Leela, which depends heavily on just acting and narration, Sahi Jata is based on acting, narration and also, dance and martial arts. “The acting component of Sahi Jata is slowly dying because to know how to portray a mythological character, one needs to do extensive research which requires a lot of time. On my part, I am aiming at reviving the acting component of the festival,” he said.

While he devotes at least a year to research for new mythological characters of the epic, Bhanu begins working on the character a month before the festival due to time constraint owing to his work schedule. He also designs the costumes and writes the Sanskrit and Odia dialogues for the character himself. “Also, as participating in Sahi Jata requires a great deal of energy, I do not compromise on my exercise routine throughout the year,” said Bhanu, who is also an athlete.

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