Bharatanatyam and Odissi presentations grace third evening of 31st Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival

Bhubaneswar(07/09/2025): Building upon the previous evening's extraordinary Hindustani vocal recital of Shri Kumar Mardur's and the captivating Carnatic Mandolin duet of Mandolin UP Raju and 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, iPriya Ranjan Das, Eminent Social Worker & BJP leader and Guru Ratikanta Mohapatra, 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 Shamrat Dutta and Santanu Roy, acclaimed Guru-Shishya duo representing the rich Bharatanatyam tradition of Kolkata.

Their presentation Dashamahavidya, a researched choreographic work by 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, and Shodashi was 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 KG Prasad on vocals, Mohana Iyer on the Nattuvangam, Shankar Narayananswami on the Mridangam and credited with the musical arrangement, Rupak Mukherjee on flute, Natarajan on violin, and Somnath Roy on the Khanjira, Ghatam, Chenda and Morsing.

The production was based on the Sanskrit research work done by Samipeshu Das and 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 Sitas Swayamvar and the conflict between Rama and Ravana, set in Raga Malika and choreographed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra to the music composition of Pradip Kumar Das.

Their presentation concluded with Mrutyujaya, choreographed by 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, 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 Nalini Nihar Nayak and the Newquest Repertory with their acclaimed play Byaghra Rohan, a satire that depicts the struggle for power and the fatal consequences of mankinds 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 Debiprasad Mishra and Dhilip Kumar, and the meticulous sound engineering of C.Anand Krishna and Bharath Krishna.

The entire festival has been curated, conceptualized, and designed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, with the impeccable programme execution by Debiprasad Mishra.

Mrutyunjaya Rath ably and seamlessly conducted the proceedings of the evening.