Bharatanatyam, Odissi presentations at 31st Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival

Bhubaneswar: Building upon the previous evening’s extraordinary Hindustani
vocal recital of Kumar Mardur’s and the captivating Carnatic Mandolin duet of Mandolin UP Raju andU Nagamani, the third day of the 31st Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra
(GKCM) Award Festival 2025 feature compelling performances in Bharatanatyam and Odissi
dance that 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, Shri Priya 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 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, 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 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 Shantanand 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 Shri 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 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.