Bhubaneswar: The five-day-long 17th Guru Debaprasad Award Festival going on at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar concluded on Monday.
The closing ceremony of this grand celebration started with the auspicious lighting the lamp ceremony attended by guests comprising Shri Prashanta Nanda, Hon’ble MP (Rajya Sabha); Ananta Narayan Jena, Hon’ble MLA, Bhubaneswar Central; Shri Ashok Tripathy, Former Member, Board of Revenue, Government of Odisha & Independent Director, Steel Authority of India Limited; Shri Satyabrata Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department and Guru Dr. Gajendra Kumar Panda, Director, Tridhara.
The ceremony commenced with the presentation of the prestigious Guru Debaprasad Award 2023. The awardees were Padma Shri Ileana Citaristi (Odissi Dance); Padma Shri Kamalini Asthana & Padma Shri Nalini Asthana (Kathak Dance); Padma Shri Pratibha Prahlad (Bharatnatyam Dance) and Guru Ramakrishna Talukdar (Sattriya Dance). Similarly Guru Debaprasad Yuva Prativa Award 2023 presented to Guru Sonali Mohapatra (Odissi Dance) and Ms. Dipika Priyadarsini (Odissi Dance) by the esteemed guests of the evening.
After the award ceremony, internationally acclaimed Bharatnatyam danseuse Pratibha Prahallad presented Solo Bharatnatyam dance. Her first item was Bruhadiswara Mahadev set to Raag-Kanada and Taal-Rupak followed by Natha Hare based on Geeta Govinda. The music composition was made by Dr. M. Balamurlikrishna and dance choreographed by Guru Pratibha Prahallad.
The next item was a duet Kathak dance recital presented by Nalini Asthana and Kamalini Asthana. They were presented Siva Stutee followed by Pada Sanjoyana. Their every movement of the body and each gesture of limb are analyzed with basic emotional steps, pattern of rhythm and foot movement to make the dance form more elegant, attractive and meaningful. The programme was well appreciated by the audience present in the auditorium.
The concluding item of the concluding evening was a flute recital by the students of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia from his Virndaban Gurukula. First they played raga Marwa and then khilali dhun along with various ragas and talas and the flute playing was very heart warming.
The 17th Guru Debaprasad Award Festival 2023 was sponsored and supported by Ministry of Culture, Government of India; Dept. of Odia Language, Literature and Culture, Govt. of Odisha; ONGC, Vedanta, Royal Midtown Hotel (RMH), MGM Minerals, SAIL and Priyadarshini.
The programme was anchored by Dr. Mrutyunjay Rath.
