Bharatanatyam and Odissi presentations grace the third evening of the 31st Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival
Bhubaneswar : Building upon the previous evening’s extraordinary Hindustani vocal recital of Shri Kumar Mardur’s and the captivating Carnatic Mandolin duet of Mandolin ShriUP Raju and Smt. U Nagamani, the third day of the 31stGuru Kelucharan Mohapatra (GKCM) Award Festival 2025 feature compelling performances in Bharatanatyam and Odissi dancethat honoured both tradition and innovation.
As always, the evening’s proceedings commenced with the ceremonial lamp lighting by distinguished guests Guru Dhaneswar Swain, Eminent Mardala Player; Guru Dr. Aruna Mohanty, Eminent Odissi danseuse and Secretary, Orissa Dance Academy, ShriPriyaRanjan Das, Eminent Social Worker &BJP Leaderand Guru RatikantaMohapatra, Director, Srjan, marking the auspicious beginning of yet another evening at this celebrated festival that preserves the essence of classical traditions while embracing contemporary relevance.
The programme opened with a powerful Bharatanatyam presentation by Shri Samrat Dutta and Shri Santanu Roy, acclaimed Guru-Shishya duo representing the rich Bharatanatyam tradition of Kolkata. Their presentation Dashamahavidya, a researched choreographic work by Shri Samrat Dutta, depicted the 10 forms of Parashakti according to Tantra, masterfully portraying the journey of human life through varied emotions and stages toward ultimate spiritual completeness. Set to Dasa-Ragamalika and Talamalika, this exploration of the ten Devis – Kamala, Kali, Tara, Bagalamukhi, Bhairavi, Bhubaneshwari, Dhumavati, Matangi, Chinnamasta, andShodashiwas choreographed to reflect the ultimate nature of human existence and the nine rasas that define our emotional spectrum.
Their performance was elevated by the compelling musical accompaniment featuring Shri KG Prasad on vocals, Smt. Mohana Iyer on the Nattuvangam, Shri Shankar Narayananswami on the Mridangam and credited with the musical arrangement, Shri Rupak Mukherjee on flute, Sri Natarajan on violin, and Shri Somnath Roy on the Khanjira, Ghatam, Chenda and Morsing. The production was based on the Sanskrit research work done by Sri Samipeshu Das and Shri Debopam Das, and the lyrical shlokas and narration of Shri Debopam Das. The amalgam of diverse elements showcased the versatility of the dancers and their prowess in Bharatanatyam, as imbibed in them by their extensive training under Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar.
The second half of the evening featured Smt. Chinmayee Dwaraknath and the Temple of Fine Arts (TFA), Coimbatore presenting a group Odissi dance performance. They began with Vinayaka Smarane, a humble invocation in obeisance to Lord Ganesha exploring his twelve sacred names from Vakratunda to Gajanana, choreographed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra and set to the music composition and vocals of Shri Vinod Kumar Panda. This was followed by Shri Rama Bhajan, the popular Bhajan, Shri Ramachandra Krupalu Bhajamana, a composition of Sant Tulsidas in reverence of Lord Rama, featuring dramatic elements including episodes of Sita’s Swayamvar and the conflict between Rama and Ravana, set in Raga Malika and choreographed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra to the music composition of Shri Pradip Kumar Das. Their presentation concluded with Mrutyujaya, choreographed by Smt. Chinmayee Dwaraknath. Through Mrutyunjaya, TFA wished to bring to life the divine outpouring of their founder and spiritual Guru, Swami Shantan and Saraswathi. The composition featured Guru Ratikant Mohapatra on Mardala, Chitra Poornima on vocals, G Sridhar on flute, Hariraam Tingyuan Lam on violin, Vedasruthi Radhakrishnan on sitar, Shri Bharath Krishna on musical arrangement, C. Anand Krishna on sound mixing and mastering, and Dhilip Kumar and Sujith Raj on the light designing.
The penultimate day will feature a theatre performance by ShriNaliniNiharNayakandthe Newquest Repertory with their acclaimed play ByaghraRohan, a satire that depicts the struggle for power and the fatal consequences of mankind’s hubris.
Srjan benefits from valuable institutional collaboration with Sri Sri University (SSU). The 31st GKCM Award Festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and the Department of Odia Literature Language and Culture, Government of Odisha. The festival has benefited greatly from the CSR initiatives of MGM Minerals Ltd., Crown Worldwide Group, and Shalimar’s® Shalimar Chemical Works Pvt. Ltd., Odisha Mining Corporation Limited (OMC), and Ruchi™ Foodline. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) serves as the Silver Sponsor for the Award Festival. Other festival sponsors include National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), Shalimar’s® Coconut Oil, State Bank of India (SBI), Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys Limited (IMFA), Paradeep Phosphates Limited (PPL), Priyadarshini, and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL). The Royale Midtown Hotel serves as their hospitality partner. Dharitri and Orissa Post, along with Narthaki.com, continue as media partners and web partner respectively.
The artistes of the festival are aided by the brilliant light designing of Shri Debiprasad Mishra and Shri Dhilip Kumar, and the meticulous sound engineering of Shri C. Anand Krishna and Shri Bharath Krishna. The entire festival has been curated, conceptualized, and designed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, with the impeccable programme execution by Shri Debiprasad Mishra. Shri Mrutyunjaya Rath ably and seamlessly conducted the proceedings of the evening.