Bhubaneswar: The 14th edition of ‘Gurushree Samman’, organized by ‘Pragnya Nrutyayan’, was held at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
‘Pragnya Nrutyayan’, a Bhubaneswar based Odissi dance institution established by Odissi dancer Guru Swayampragnya Sahoo with branches in different parts of the state, turned the evening into a celebration of dance and devotion.
After the lighting the lamp ceremony attended by dignitaries like Ekamra MLA Babu Singh, Korei MLA Akash Das Nayak, SAIL director Ashok Kumar Tripathy, Guru Gajendra Panda, Chinta O Chetana’s general secretary Surendra Das, the evening witnessed a felicitation ceremony.
This year, the ‘Gurushree Samman 2025’ was conferred upon eminent Odissi singer Guru Ramahari Das. Similarly, Guru Jyoti Rout and Guru Namita Roy were felicitated with the ‘Nrutya Saranchana Samman’ and Guru Aloka Kaunungo, Maheswari Pradhan and Meghambari Pradhan were honoured with the ‘Nrutyashree Samman’.
They apart, Odissi dancer Dipti Prakash Champati, Khirabdi Tanaya and Hitikimayee Biswal received the ‘Pragnya Prativa Samman’ and Guru Lingaraj Pradhan and Guru Subhashree Pattanayak were recognized with the ‘Bicharak Samman’.
The cultural evening witnessed some scintillating Odissi solo, duet and group dance performances. As many as 45 artistes (Male-1 and Female-44) of the host institution, led by Guru Sahoo, presented ‘Jeevan Chakram’, concept and script by Er Srinivas Ghatuary, music by Himanshu Sekhar Swain, rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain and Ajay Choudhury and choreographed by Guru Sahoo.
The production left the audience glued to their seats.
When eminent Odissi dancer Aloka Kanungo, founder of Kolkata-based Odissi dance institution ‘Shinjan Nrityalaya’, came onto the stage, she left the art lovers overwhelmed. She presented an Abhinaya ‘Patha Chhadi De’, set to Raga Saveri and Tala Ektali, written by poet Banamali Das, a timeless choreography of Padma Bibhushan Guru Kelu Charan Mahapatra and music by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra.
From the beginning, she crafted her movements carefully and captivated the audience with her impressive abhinaya skills and striking and flawless poses.
Adding to the charm, Maheswari Pradhan and Meghambari Pradhan, daughters and disciples of Guru Muktilata Pal presented a soulful duet ‘Madan Mohan Ashtakam’, young Odissi dancer Dipti Prakash Champati presented ‘Jhinjoti Pallavi’, while the artistes of Jyoti Kala Mandir presented ‘Ananda Bhairavi Pallavi’ and ‘Barsha’.
Earlier in the day, the students from different branches of ‘Pragnya Nrutyayan’ entertained the audience with their engaging solo, duet and group performances.
While Er Ghatuary anchored the proceedings of the day seamlessly, Gayadhara Sahoo ensured smooth coordination of both sessions.
