Bhubaneswar: The two-day-long 19th edition of Guru Debaprasad Award Festival organized by Tridhara at Rabindra Mandap concluded on Saturday.
The closing ceremony of this grand celebration started with the traditional lighting of the lamp by the esteemed guests including Jajpur MP Dr Rabindra Narayan Behera, Vice Chancellor of Utkal University of Culture Prof. Prasanna Kumar Swain, Odisha Olympics Association President and BJP’s former Odisha president Samir Mohanty, CMD of MGM Minerals Pankaj Lochan Mohanty and eminent Odissi Dancer and founder of Sutra Foundation, Malaysia, Guru Datuk Ramli Ibrahim. Tridhara’s working president Simanchala Panda and director Guru Dr Gajendra Kumar Panda also shared the dais.
The ceremony commenced with the presentation of the prestigious Guru Debaprasad Award 2024. The award was presented to Guru Niranjan Rout (Odissi Dance), Sivarajah Natarajan (Visual Arts & Light Design) and Guru Yudhistir Nahak (Radha Prema Leela).
Similarly, Guru Debaprasad Yuva Prativa Award – 2025 presented to Odissi dancers Guru Jayant Acharya, Bidushi D. Priyanka, Bidushi Sudipta Panda, and Ms. Aarya Nande. Finally, the Guru Debaprasad Sishu Prativa Award – 2025 presented to Odissi dancer Ms. Yuuri Iijima by the esteemed guests of the evening.
After the award ceremony, Sutra Foundation, Malaysia, presented group Odissi dance ‘Radhe! Radhe! The Sweet Surrender’. Choreographed by Guru Dr. Gajendra Kumar Panda and Datuk Ramli Ibrahim, music composed by Guru Gopal Chandra Panda and Pandit Laxmikant Palit, Smt. Sangita Panda, rhythm composed by Guru Sachidananda Das, the production had the connoisseurs in thrall.
The programme was anchored by Punya Darshan Sahu.
Photo courtesy: Tridhara
