Bhubaneswar: The 18th Guru Debaprasad Award Festival 2024 is all set to start from October 25 to October 27, 2024 at Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar, starting at 6:30 PM.
One of the premier Odissi dance institutions in Odisha, Tridhara has been organizing the Guru Debaprasad Award presentation ceremony regularly for the last 17 years in remembrance of the legendary and revered Guruji Debaprasad Das.
This year the Guru Debaprasad Lifetime Achievement Award 2024 will be conferred upon Padma Shri Guru Mayadhar Rout for his lifetime contribution in the field of Odissi Dance; Guru Gopal Chandra Panda in Odissi Music; Guru Harmohan Khuntia in Odissi Mardala and Dr. Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi lifetime contribution in Natya Sahitya.
Similarly, Guru Debaprasad Award 2024 will be awarded to Padma Shri Madhavi Mudgal (Odissi Dance); Padma Shri Chitra Visweswaran (Bharatnatyam); Padma Shri Ramlal Bareth (Kathak) and Padma Shri Guru Bhagabata Pradhan (Sabda Nrutya).
Finally, Dr. Ajith Bhaskar (Bharatnatyam Dance), Ms. Rupa Rani Das Borah (Kathak), Shri Tejas Upadhye (Violin) and Shri Vickneshwaram Gonasergar (Odissi Dance) will be awarded with Guru Debaprasad Prativa Award 2024.
This year, the cultural program will commence with the inaugural ceremony on October 25, 2024, featuring the presentation of the Guru Debaprasad Prativa Award. This will be followed by a group Odissi dance by Sutra Dance Theater, Malaysia, led by Padma Shri Datuk Ramli Ibrahim, a solo Bharatanatyam performance by Dr. Ajith Bhaskar, a solo Kathak performance by Ms. Rupa Rani Das, and a solo violin recital by eminent violinist Shri Tejas Upadhye.
On October 26, 2024, the evening will begin with the presentation of the Guru Debaprasad Lifetime Achievement Award to legendary gurus, followed by a solo Odissi dance by Padma Shri Guru Madhavi Mudgal, a solo Bharatanatyam performance by Padma Shri Chitra Visweswaran, a group Kathak performance by Padma Shri Ramlal Bareth and Shri Bhupendra Bareth & Group, and Sabda Nrutya by Padma Shri Guru Bhagabata Pradhan and Group.
The Valedictory Ceremony on October 27, 2024, will open with the Odissi dance production “Sabda Swara Patta,” followed by the Guru Debaprasad Award presentation to world-renowned gurus and artists. The evening will conclude with Odissi dance production “Sita Ram Bakyalapam,” composed by Guru Dr. Gajendra Kumar Panda, which will be presented by the principal dancers of Tridhara, a leading dance institution in Odisha.
Notably, the entry is free for all.
