Arpita was initiated to the age old art of Odissi Dance by the maestro Guru Shri Muralidhar Majhi. Her talents blos­somed under the devoted guidance of the re­nowned Odissi exponent Smt Aloka Kanungo in Shinjan Nrityalaya. She has also taken an active part in prestigious productions of her Guru Smt. Aloka Kanungo such as Sthapatya Satya, Gatagata etc. Her intimate interaction with the veteran guru of Manipuri Smt. Kalavati Devi in Maharaas, has further amelio­rated her as a dancer.

This young dancer has received the prestigious Junior Fellowship from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India, to do research on comparative studies on "Karanas". She has stood third in the Masters Degree Examination at Rabindra Bharati University and she has also secured third position in Sangeet Bivakar Examination under Bangiya Sangeet Parishad and has a unique distinction of procuring Nritya Ratna from Bangiya Sangeet Parishad and Sangeet Prabhakar from Prayag Sangeet Samity.

What brings fulfillment to the achievements and as­pirations of this young dancer is her role as a teacher. She is engaged in bestowing her knowledge of Odissi to her students, who will carry on this ancient art form in years to come. She is a strict yet loving teach­er when she perfects the postures of her students at her own school Malashree.

Arpita’s Compositions – Dance Dramas

• Satyam Jnanam Anantam
• Sabujer Deshe
• Chatusprana - Collage of Bharatnatyam, Odissi, Kathak & Manipuri
• Chanda Madhuri (Odissi Dance composed with Manipuri)
• Jala - Sthala – Antariksha
• Pancha Bhoot

Arpita’s Solo Performances – At a Glance

• Nrityanjali - at Rabindra Sadan - organised by Shinjan Nrityalaya
• Uday Shankar Dance Festival
• Ustad Bahadur Khan Sangeet Academy
• Brahmin Baria Music Circle
• Haldia Music Circle
• ICCR Program in collaboration with Birla Academy
• Dover Lane Music Conference for Lalit Kala Kendra (performed as well as choreographed).
• Odissi Nritya Utsav organized by Rajya Sangeet Academy
• India's Independence celebration programme organized by ICCR
• Odissi Dance Festival - Organised by Shinjan Nrityalaya at Gyan Manch
• Classical Dance Festival - Organised by Uttarpara Sangeet Chakra
• 3rd Guru Debaprasad award at Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar, organised by Tridhara
• Mayol in Blossom, organised by Manipuri Nartanalaya at ICCR

Notable Performances - Abroad

• Indian Embassy - Berlin, Germany
• Programme at Nehru Centre - London, U. K.
• Bengali Performing Arts Glasgow – Scotland
• Bangla Television - London, U. K.
• ICC Organised Programme - Kathmandu, Nepal
• Dhaka Television - Dhaka, Bangladesh

Media Performances

• Doordarshan - Kolkata
• Bangladesh, Dhaka Television
• ETV
• SUN TV
• Tara Bangla
• ATN – Kolkata

Performances with Guru Smt. Aloka Kanungo and Shinjan Nrityalaya

• Khajuraho Dance Festival
• Shri Shankar Dev festival-Guwahati
• Soorya Festival-Trivandrum.
• Swaralaya Festival-Palghat
• Thalam Thrissur.
• Festival of Folk Dance-Pune
• Spring Festival - Rourkela Music Circle
• Utkal Divas
• Impressario India - New Delhi
• Nisha Gandhi Festival
• Kalaskhetra Annual Festival

PERSPECTIVE :

Malashree is a body registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act 1961. It is a centre dedicated to preserve & promote cultural activities through training and demonstration. Intellectual and creative cultivation creates a desire in man to develop knowledge of own inner self. It is with this belief that Malashree was born from a con­scious inspiration to unfold the world of creative imagination.

TRAINING AND ACCREDITATION :

As a trusted institution Malashree provides excellent training facility and personalized grooming for differ­ent forms of dance e.g. Classical (Kathak and Odissi). Rabindra Nritya, Lokanritya. and other creative forms. Besides, examinations are conducted for accreditation from First to Sixth year of various courses of parent bodies like Bangiya Sangeet Parishad. Besides, streams in the field of art & painting, tabla, vocal song (Rabindrasangeet, Nazrulgeeti & Light Classical) and Recitation are also contributing to the students. Pupils are supported by accomplished and experienced teachers having credentials in their respective disciplines. Attractive & useful prizes are given to the pupils for their proficiency in the examination.

RESEARCH WORK AND PRODUCTION :

Malashree   has   the   in-house talent and skill  in the related fields to carry out projects of innovative nature and of reinterpretation / fusion of concepts in the field of dance, literary and musical presentation. In-house productions titled ‘Satyam Jnanam Anantam’ and ‘Sabujer Deshe’were given recognition by The Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, New Delhi by way of grants.

COMPETITION :

In order to create a platform for development and recognition of promising youth in the different streams of performing and visual art, competition is organised in dances, song, painting, recitation, musical instruments etc. for different age groups of children and young boys/girls. These events have been met with grand success.

RECOGNITION OF MERIT FOR HANDICAPPED BOYS & GIRLS :

Malashree organises competition specifically dedicated for the handicapped (including mentally retarded) boys and girls. Many students from recognised institu­tions do participate in these competitions. Apart from prizes, certificates are also awarded in recognition of skill & talent.

CULTURAL EVENTS :

Having emerged as a body dedicated to spread creative efforts in cultural pursuits and  create a platform for recognition of promising youth, cultural programs are organised in public halls. In these programs many a time, own compositions (dance, music and literary) contributed by competent members and teachers of Malashree are choreographed and presented to the elite public. Besides, Indian classical dances in pure & fusion form, creative compositions of celebrities, Tagore's nritya natya etc. are also presented. Malashree has performed in Nrityanatya Utsav 2007 & 2009 at Madhusudan Manch, Kolkata organised by West Bengal State Music Academy in association with West Bengal Dance Group Federation. Malashree also  performed in a programme of SAIL Retired officers’ organization, Shishu Kishore Utsav 2010 under the aegis of The Department of Information & Culture, Govt. of W.B. and several other prestigious events Workshops are also organised from time to time for the benefit and development of skill of students.

SCHOLARSHIP & ACHIEVMENTS :

Students of Malashree, Manjima Sarkar & Madhurima Das got C.C.R.T. scholarships in Odissi dance in the years 2007 & 2009 respectively  under the guidance of Arpita  Venkatesh.

UPCOMING PROGRAMME :

Malashree presents their Tenth Annual Programme "Chatusprana" (Presentation of four classical dance forms Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Odissi & Manipur) at Madhusudan Mancha on Monday, May 23, 2001. There, tabla recital by Sri Debabrata Chakraborty and a dance drama “DEBOTAR GRASS" choreographed on Tagore's poem .