7th Barnali Festival - Ratikant Mohapatra Calling

The 7th edition of the two-day Barnali Festival, organized by Rudrakshya Foundation, concluded with grandeur at Utkal Rangamanch in Bhubaneswar, leaving an enduring impression on the audience. Celebrating the artistic vision of Guru Bichitrananda Swain and the excellence of his institution, the festival brought together a distinguished gathering, with eminent Odissi vocalist and musicologist Guru Ramahari Das and Rudrakshya Foundation president Ramprasad Akkisetti as honoured guests.

This year's festival was dedicated to the memory of Christopher Charles Benninger, a renowned architect and a devoted supporter of Rudrakshya Foundation, whose unwavering encouragement played a significant role in shaping the institution's journey.

The evening unfolded with three compelling dance presentations, each offering a unique artistic expression. Lipsa Satapathy captivated the audience with a solo performance, followed by a powerful duet by Samrat Dutta and Santanu Roy. The festival concluded with a dynamic group presentation by the talented repertory dancers of Rudrakshya Foundation. 

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We Sinful Women: Column by Janaki Patrik

I was initially inspired by the Urdu words of Pakistani feminist poets in 1993, when I read a few of their poems from the collection edited and translated by Rukhsana Ahmad and titled WE SINFUL WOMEN. Those poems had been included in the readings for Professor Gauri Viswanathan's Columbia University course, Nationalism and Modernity, in which I enrolled as part of my MA program in Indic languages and cultures.

Simultaneously, I met Naseem Khan, whose May 1976 Report to the Arts Council of Great Britain, titled "THE ARTS BRITAIN IGNORES, The Arts of Ethnic Minorities in Britain", had revealed the inherent racism and myopia of arts policy in this leading nation of the western world. Dropped like a bomb on complacency, Ms. Khan's report started a process of examination of Britain's debts to its former colonies - in this case to its citizens whose ancestral roots were in former colonies of the British Empire, and whose cultural lives in their transposed British homeland were not being supported. 

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Obit/Tribute - Himmat Shah (1933-2025) - Bharat Sharma

Another passing...

I am reminded of a half-hour dance solo I premiered in 1999, inspired by a sculpture by Himmat Shah of the hands at Shridharani Art Gallery in Mandi House in early 80s. The power of that image lingered in my impressionable mind for long. 

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Article - Enriching dance with depth and meaning - Ratna Bharati Acharya

Last year in August 2024, a 3-day seminar on Odissi dance was held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. During the seminar, Sharmila Biswas (Odissi dancer and choreographer) discussed various career paths in the field of dance, including roles like choreographer, teacher, and others. Then, on February 5th, I attended an event where the "South Asian Dance Intersections" journals were launched. The event featured discussions on different facets of art, with several prominent figures presenting papers, engaging in discussions, and participating in Q&A sessions. These experiences resonate deeply with me, which is why I make every effort to attend such events. However, it's disheartening that in India, there's still very little focus on such discussions around the arts.

What I'm about to write is inspired by personal experiences and observations of events around me, as well as my perspective on the broader landscape of classical dance.

1. Lack of guidance on diverse career paths in Dance: How often do teachers truly educate their students about the wide range of careers beyond being a performer in dance?

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The Shivaaraghya Fest 2025 - Dance Matters: Column by Ashish Mohan Khokar

Ganesa Natyalaya of Delhi, all of 51-year-old now (that's a shagun in North), the go-to place to learn Bharatanatyam now, has used the Swarna Saroja occasion - foundation day - as platform to project the purush ang (male dancer). This segment in Indian dance by definition and circumstances, societal and commercial aspects has been marginalised. Male dancing has been in the minority, increasingly with women power taking over. Even in all male forms like Kuchipudi, Sattriya or Kathakali, gender equality has tried to set in! Or got skewed with more women than men as in Kuchipudi. Thankfully Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri and contemporary have fair share of both genders. Of late, one sees role reversal when Mohiniattam is getting a few male proponents. Anyone try in Vilasini Natyam? 

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Article - Natyacharya V.P.Dhananjayan's conceptual offering - 'Noothana Karanas' - Dr. Vinod Gopalakrishnan

NEW NRITTA / NRITYA KARANAS ATTRACTION AT DAKSHINACHITRA, THE HERITAGE MUSEUM AT MUTTUKKADU, CHENNAI

Bharata Kalanjali has installed a few Noothana (new) Karana sculptures at Dakshinachitra, Chennai, and more are to be added in due course.

Senior Natyacharyas are invited to join this monumental project by installing new nritta /nritya Karanas created by them in their choreographic work. This will benefit present and future generations to understand the changing nature of arts from generation to generation.

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Obit/Tribute - Tribute to a legend: Natyacharya Mayadhar Raut - V.P. Dhananjayan

In passing away of Guru Mayadhar Raut, often attributed as one of "the fathers of Odissi naatya," the nation lost yet another legend. This is my humble tribute to a colleague whom I knew from the day he joined Kalakshetra in 1955. While teaching at the Kala Vikas Kendra (an organization engaged in professional training for several arts) in Cuttack as the first teacher of Odissi, he won a scholarship in 1955 from the Orissa branch of Sangeet Natak Akademi (India's national academy of music, dance, and drama) to pursue training in Bharatanaatyam and Kathakali at the Kalakshetra Foundation, Adyar in Madras (now Chennai). We stayed in the Kalakshetra hostel which gave us the greater advantage of learning and practicing the arts in a Gurukulam type of atmosphere.

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Obit/Tribute - Odissi Guru Mayadhar Raut: The last giant man standing just fell - Ashish Khokar

Born on July 6, 1930, he was the youngest of four pillars of Orissi, as the form was initially spelt. He was born in the village of Kantapenhara in Cuttack district. Here, there was a Krishna Leela party. Krishna Leela differs from Ras Leela in that while in the latter the performers are only boys up to the age of 14, in Krishna Leela adult characters are portrayed by adults. Mayadhar's grandfather was connected with the troupe, occasionally helping it financially or doing bit roles, and Mayadhar's elder brother Harihar Raut used to play the part of the child Krishna. Mayadhar's father was a cultivator. Adjacent to his fields were those of Kali Charan Patnaik of Cuttack, who then ran a drama troupe known as Sakshi Gopal Natya Sangh, named after Sakshi Gopal, the first play he had written. He once came on a visit to the village and saw Mayadhar. Impressed with his looks and demeanour, he asked the father if the boy knew any singing. Mayadhar rendered a song that he had learnt in school. It was enough. Kali Charan asked the father if he might take the boy with him, and the father agreed. So, at the age of seven, Mayadhar found himself in the theatre.

 

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Anahat: A heart’s journey - Dance Matters: Column by Ashish Mohan Khokar

On Valentine's, it is amazing that very few classical dancers thought of heart. Art is hidden in the very spelling of he-art! Most were busy with basant / spring (matters of heart, eh?), some more busy cleansing their bodies and souls by taking a holy dip in the Sangam! Only one dancer of Delhi, Rashmi Singh nee Khanna took to heart the themes of love, loss, acceptance and happiness. In dance, one often talks of nine emotions - the Navarasa - but this offering Anahat, was about a series of "carefully crafted pieces that resonate with the emotions of existence, the weight of expectations, and the eternal quest for truth and love." 

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Celebrating India’s tryst with peace through Dhauli-Kalinga Mahotsav - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

The sense of standing on hallowed land registers even with those aware only of the scantiest details of history, when one visits the Dhauli Hills site in 0disha, about twenty kilometres from the capital of Bhubaneswar. Where else does world history provide another example of a conqueror asking for forgiveness after winning a hard fought battle - the ravages of war with bloodshed and suffering humanity, turning river Daya flowing through the area into Nirdaya (one without spirit of sympathy for mankind), with crimson water soaked with the blood of fallen heroes. It was here that King Ashoka took his epoch marking vow, changing the course of world history - that henceforth, forsaking war, he would conquer hearts through love and peace alone. But for this Buddhist Emperor's messengers sent to different parts of Asia, spreading the message of the Buddha, Buddhism, instead of becoming a world force, would have remained only in India!

In the year 2003, in the premises of the Peace Pagoda atop the Hill, (with a small temple to Shiva, adjacent to it), the Dhauli Kalinga Mahotsav sponsored by the Tourism Department and conceived as a largely Martial Arts Festival by Italian Odissi dancer who has made Odisha her home, Ileana Citaristi, the Dhauli-Kalinga Mahotsav was established. In 2012, the festival was moved to the foot of the Hills overlooking the Peace Pagoda, on to a sumptuous stage of the Orissa Dance Academy used for its festivals organized by Guru Gangadhar Pradhan. With the changed site, the scope of the Mahotsav was enlarged by making it more inclusive with dance forms too made a part of the presentation. The sponsors are now Odia Language Literature and Culture Department of Odisha, and Orissa Dance Academy in association with Art Vision (Incredible India). Live telecast by DD Bharati has ensured wide coverage.

The large performance arena with the ceremonial oath taking by VIPs facing the Peace Pagoda and temple, holding aloft burning torches in a salutation to forsake war, along with sophisticated technology of visuals (Janardhan Raj Urs and Biswajit Das), stage designing and ambience by Lee Bliss, sound and light by Kumar Lights, and exotic sets, not to speak of innumerable dancer participants from all over the country, the Mahotsav has become a high profile event. While one would like the inner worth of art forms being preserved, not camouflaged by over played flamboyance, it is this grandeur however, which is attracting young people to attend the performances, and since dance or any other art, without interested clientele cannot survive, this attraction of young people is all to the good. And thinking organizers, by arranging special transport to Dhauli and back from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are ensuring an excellent turnout every evening. For once, watching an audience with a large component of youngsters was wonderful and seeing tiny tots, dodging parents and running to the front to break into a jig along with what was happening on the stage, was a heartwarming sight! 

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SAMAKSH 2025: A celebration of grace, emotion, and artistic excellence - Ratikant Mohapatra Calling

The evening of SAMAKSH 2025, held on the 11th and 12th of February at Bhanja Kala Mandap, Bhubaneswar, was an experience of unparalleled beauty and artistic depth. Organized by one of Bhubaneswar’s leading Odissi institutions, Sanchari Trust, in its second annual edition, stood as a testimony to the enduring power of Odissi dance and the remarkable talents dedicated to preserving and evolving this art form. Led by the promising Odissi dancer Rudraprasad Swain, the event was an impeccable showcase of devotion, discipline, and artistic expression. The evening also saw the masterful anchoring of Ananya Parda, whose eloquence and deep understanding of the dance form made the experience even more engaging.

The performances of the evening were thoughtfully curated, bringing together a diverse repertoire of compositions ranging from classical Odia abhinaya to deeply spiritual bhajans and the timeless verses of Jayadeva's Geeta Govinda. Each dancer brought a unique sensibility to the stage, and watching them perform was akin to witnessing poetry in motion, each moment infused with meaning and emotion. 

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Article - INDIAN BALLET (1975 -1989) - Achievements, problems and growth - Bharat Sharma

(Lecture delivered on 3rd September 1989 as the first Shanti Bardhan Memorial Lecture at Kala Parishad, Bhopal.)

To start with, this phenomenon of which I am going to talk about has so many names that I myself have got confused. I may mention here, very humbly, an instance from Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography 'The story of my experiments with Truth'. This was in South Africa where he was experimenting with his ideas on passive resistance. He had organized the local Indian population to fight for their rights and live with dignity. This campaign had gone for twelve years and yet this urge and idea did not get its name. After twelve years it was decided that the ideas practiced should have a name to make it easier for people to understand and thus, a competition was held to suggest a name. And that is how the word 'Satyagraha' was born. 

What I am suggesting here is that there is no point in discussing that this phenomenon should be named Indian Ballet or Modern Indian Dance or Dance-Drama or Contemporary Dance. The fact is that this phenomenon has come to stay, and the emphasis should be on its serious practice. An appropriate name will come to it once its parameters are more clearly defined, and the art form gains more strength. It is true that in the 20th century, all over the world, in remote areas and very ancient civilizations, there has been a tremendous urge to find a language of body that can relate to the excitement and turmoil of the present. Whether it is the contemporary dance scene in the traditional societies of China, Japan, Indonesia or the industrial societies of USA, France and Germany or the growth of Folk Ensembles in communist countries, the urge has been the same. It is from this point of view that the Indian Ballet has to be assessed.

If we have to talk about the history of Indian Ballet in the last five decades, then we have to bear in mind that it grew in the context of Indian Nationalism, as part of Indian Renaissance. Initial stimulation came through contacts with the West and in the course of time, it achieved a unique character of its own. The entire second generation of choreographers of Indian Ballet never traveled to the west and dancers were working towards the birth of a new nation. The concept of Nation-State and Democracy was being introduced over a sub-continent divided by small principalities and monarchies. Naturally there were several art forms that emerged to strengthen this idea of nationhood. Themes and forms emerged which were universal in character, produced by the collective, appealing to audiences cutting across regional barriers and talking of a common cultural heritage. Along with Indian Ballet, Indian orchestral works, chorus singing, protest plays and poetry emerged. Strangely, after Independence all these forms that were in their infancy and needed financial and organizational support were sidetracked. This was partly due to the changed political scenario.

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Basant Blooms! - Dance Matters: Column by Ashish Mohan Khokar

Manthan was the title of the 3-day gathering of assorted dance folks: the talkers, walkers and knockers! A mixed bag of events hosted by Kalpataru in its crystal year (15th anniversary is called so): two nights on two artistes from the USA and two dancers from Delhi on the concluding night. A launch of third edition of online South Asian-dance-pegged magazine - SADI - edited by senior dance observer, event manager, former TV anchor and a budding academician Dr. Arshiya Sethi. Rama Vaidyanathan, the happening Bharatanatyam star of Delhi today, did the honours as a trustee of Kri.

 

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Reflections on Art and Aesthetics: Special Lecture by Prof. Dr. Ashutosh Mohan - Ratikant Mohapatra Calling

On 6th February 2025, the Faculty of Arts, Communication, and Indic Studies (FACIS) at Sri Sri University had the privilege of hosting a special talk titled "Reflections on Arts and Aesthetics" by the distinguished scholar Prof. (Dr.) Ashutosh Mohan. Known for his erudition and insightful interpretations of English Literature and Aesthetics, Prof. Mohan is currently a professor at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi. With over two decades of teaching and research experience, his expertise encompasses Indian English Literature, Comparative Aesthetics, and Postcolonial Studies. 

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Anita says...February 2025

 PEOPLE WHO SAY IT CANNOT BE DONE SHOULD NOT INTERRUPT THOSE WHO ARE DOING IT.

- George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright and critic

IF YOU HATE A PERSON THEN YOU ARE DEFEATED BY THEM.
- Confucius, Chinese philosopher

Against the awe-inspiring backdrop of the MahaKumbh - a once every 144 year event - that witnessed the largest human congregation on earth at Prayagraj, millions of devotees congregated to pray and plunge into the meeting point of the sacred rivers - Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. This created a visual canvas that no scenographer could hope to emulate. A powerful and undeniable testament to the power of faith.

Dancers and musicians were part of the daily celebrations. The experience has been described by every artiste as "deeply moving", "extremely humbling", "life altering". Shovana Narayan and Geeta Chandran, whose dance ensemble were invited to perform last month shared their individual perspectives on the impact of being a part of this human tidal wave.

Shovana Narayan says, "The atmosphere was charged with a million hearts drenched in devotion. I felt a powerful current of energy as I dipped into the waters."
Geeta Chandran says, "The Kumbh makes you deeply aware of your own insignificance both on earth and in the cosmos. A moment that shakes one to the deepest core."

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Moments of movement and melody from Music Academy's mega dance festival - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

It was Madras Music Academy's 18th dance festival - a mega event featuring thirty two dancers over a week! One took in as much as a strained back, thanks to hours of couch potato sitting, would accommodate. 

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Solo projections of high quality and promise in Dance for Dance festival - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

Curated by dancer Malavika Sarukkai, the fifth consecutive Dance for Dance festival (Dec 20-22, 2024) held at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan with the co-sponsorship of Kartik Fine Arts, would seem to have carried further, Kalavahini’s principle aim of a platform where the best among established dancers, perform in tandem with the specially selected promising young talent. Really deserving dance aspirants struggling against slender resources, will surely benefit from Kalavahini’s programme comprising intensity of the Dance Immersion Classes with seed money provided for a new venture – to which is, now, an added heartening introduction of a scholarship. It is a welcome sign when senior dancers who have made the grade, exercising concern for the future of the art form and for preserving an unassailable adherence to quality, step forward to enlist support for genuinely deserving younger talent. 

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Interview - Divya Warier on cross-discipline mentorship - Shveta Arora

During the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdowns in 2020, dancer Divya Warier organized Pratiroop, an online cross-mentorship programme that put dancers and mentors from different dance forms together. The result was short solos that were extremely concept-rich and innovative, with the dancers pushing the boundaries of their creativity and form under a guru who brought the influences and perspective of another discipline to bear on the usual production process.

Pratiroop started as an online, video production platform for lack of choice, when lockdowns made it impossible to meet in person or perform on stage. However, the dancers used the opportunity to create well-produced videos and adapt to the medium. Some of dancers also exploited the video medium effectively, creating solos that were not one unbroken stage performance, but used angles, cuts and editing to create dance movies. Pratiroop has had four iterations so far, two during COVID in 2020 and 2021, and two after. Divya also organizes a cross-mentorship residency in Kerala.

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Prism - NAVARASA SADHANA: An alternate actor training module based on Indian Traditional Theatre and Natyasastra - G Venu

 

...However, notwithstanding the Indian theatre possessing such a rich tradition, all the present theatre training methodologies practised in India follow the Western theatre practices. The Method Acting, evolved by Stanislavski who had lived during the first half of 20th century is still the most popular acting methodology in India. The techniques based on Natyasastra are limited to the training of the classical dance forms. This has given rise to a popular misconception that the Natyasastra is a system that pertains only to the dance forms. Such a misapprehension in turn arises from the misreading of Natyasastra that it just encompasses a stylised rendering of the four-fold acting methodology comprising of Angika, Vachika, Aharya and Sathwika abhinaya-s. The Indian theatre schools diligently follow all the Western masters of theatre right from Stanislavski to Antonin Artaud and Jerzy Grotowski etc. It was during my own training of Kutiyattam under Guru Ammannur Madhava Chakyar that I started learning to tell apart the major differentiations between Kathakali and Kutiyattam. I had entered Kutiyattam after learning Kathakali for eight years. As I started distinguishing between the dance theatre of Kathakali and the theatrical form of Kutiyattam, I started to contemplate seriously on the notion of what makes up the Indian theatre.

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Twenty fourth year of Natya Darshan Festival - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

Unlike earlier Natya Darshan festivals, this year's celebration, convened by dancer Narthaki Nataraj was built round a theme of the body as a temple, with the motto Connect, Communicate, Elevate, while dealing with a subject. Involving the Pancha Kosha or five layers or sheaths of the human body from Annamaya Kosha, the outermost layer sustained by food, to Pranamaya Kosha, the physical body with life breath, to Manomaya Kosha the vital mental body, to the deeper recesses of mind in Vighyanamaya Kosha, till finally to the total silence and complete harmony of bliss in Anandamaya Kosha, underlines an evolution from gross to subtle body - signifying the route that art also takes with the practitioner - from the physical dancer to the one who communicates from his innermost being. Instead of the comfort of presenting items selected from the common Margam repertoire, here was a need to go through literature in the vernacular languages, to find material suitable to the prescribed theme, and all the participants one saw, had spared no efforts to live up to their allotted theme. 

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Obit/Tribute - Kathak Guru Chitra Venugopal (1936 - 2025)

Her middle name ought to have been SMILE. That was her best abhushan (jewelry) too. She was a picture – Chitra - of poise and graciousness. Actually, all the three sisters were: Maya Rao, the lighthouse of Kathak in Bangalore; Uma Subbarao, affable and amiable artist and art lover; and Chitra Venugopal, illustrious teacher of Kathak to hundreds.

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Chennai swamped by Margazhi music/dance deluge - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

Come Margazhi Season and with the deluge of music /dance and lectures on art in Chennai, one jumps grasshopper like from one Sabha to another, trying to absorb as much as one's energy and trafficking through bumpy and in places water-logged roads and alleys, will allow. In the desire not to miss out on opportunities, one often misses out on the luxury of sitting through entire events, ending up seeing parts of festivals playing out at various centres.

LECTURE BY BRITISH HISTORIAN WILLIAM DALRYMPLE

NRITHYA CHOODAMANI AND SANGEETHA CHOODAMANI

NAVIA'S VIRODHABHASA INTENSITY STRUGGLES AGAINST AUDIENCE RIGIDITY

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Anita says...January 2025

Happy New Year, everyone!
Here we are at the start of yet another year.
A year that brings with it all the hopes and promises of something better and brighter than the year that has just gone by.

Are you looking back at 2024 with gratitude, joy, delight? A twinge of regret and sadness? Are you a better person today than a year ago? It is a brand new start and moving beyond resolutions, there are 12 brand new months to reset, pivot or simply get up, dust the knicks and scratches off our knees and keep going-dancing!

For me, 2024 has been one of big ups and downs. A broken bone mid year and weeks of rest put me in a reflective mood about my own journey. It's been 60 years since my arangetram! How much and how far I have travelled in my life and art! How many new initiatives, new platforms, new brands. So perhaps 2024 has rightly been a year of pause, reflection and perhaps a pivot!

My travels took me to many countries but in December alone I went to villages, towns, cities, mountains and the seaside. I watched a gamut of performances - ritual theatre, folk art, mythic plays, classical and neo classical dance, performance art, film music orchestras, contemporary dance and, skipping (almost) the entire Chennai Margazhi season. I felt a huge surge of gratitude for the opportunity to encounter new cultural experiences while staying curious with a multitude of questions about walking the creative path.

To take the entire month of December off was always the plan. Knowing only too well that Chennai would be drowning in too many Bharatanatyam shows from morning to night, I intentionally planned to turn my lens onto other kinds of creative endeavours. I wanted to absorb a greater diversity in arts programming, to personally witness the push of bristling young minds curating inter-disciplinary events with courage and bravado - to acknowledge (with a wistful twinge) the shrinking space for classical dance and to envy classically trained musicians who are able to easily straddle so many worlds simultaneously. 

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