Sakhi Nata

Understand

Where Sakhi Nata comes from

Sakhi Nata is the women's folk-performance tradition of coastal Odisha, particularly of the Puri, Khurda and Cuttack districts — performed by women of the fisher-folk (nulia / Kaivarta) and farming communities. The form draws on the emotional register of the Sakhi-Sakhi dialogue (the song-conversation between two friends) of Odia Vaishnava literature, treating themes of female friendship, love and longing. The dance has been documented in Sangeet Natak Akademi surveys as one of the living folk traditions of eastern Odisha.

How it's practiced

Sakhi Nata is performed by women — typically two or more — who dance and act out the conversation between the two 'sakhi' friends. The dance is sung and performed in a domestic or community setting (in courtyards, on verandas or at village gatherings), with the women singing and gesturing in call-and-response. The dialogue-style song progresses through themes of departure, love, marriage and longing. Costume is the colourful Odia women-dress — the stitched sari with the traditional silver belt (the bandhan), the heavy silver jewellery and the flowing dupatta. The dance uses simple step patterns of the regional folk style — slow circling, gentle hand gestures and the rhythmic step of the foot bells.