Bhubaneswar: After a successful debut last year, the Nritya Prajna Public Charitable Trust is gearing up to hold the second edition of its Nritya Prajna Utsav on April 24 at Bhanjakala Mandap in Bhubaneswar, starting at 6.30 pm.
The highlight of this year’s festival is the presentation of first Nritya Prajna Samman. The honour will be bestowed upon celebrated Odissi dance guru Padma Shri Smt Kumkum Mohanty.
The evening will have a bouquet of scintillating performances, sure to keep art lovers hooked. While the evening features Smt Kumkum Mohanty’s performance, dancers of the host institution will present a group Odissi dance recital. Adding more colour to the evening, artistes of Nabaprativa, Puri, will showcase a Mahari dance recital, dancers of Geeta Govinda Charitable Trust will present a group Odissi dance recital and dancers of Aradhana Dance Academy, Bhubaneswar, will light up the stage with a Gotipua dance recital.
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The force behind the festival is globetrotter Odissi dancer Lucky Prajna Pratisthita Mohanty. Trained under the watchful eyes of Padma Shri Kumkum Mohanty at Kala Vikash Kendra, Lucky has gone from strength to strength, carving a niche as a compelling solo performer.
An ‘A’ grade artiste of Prasar Bharati, Lucky’s artistic journey has taken him to different prestigious festivals from Konark Festival, Mukteswar Dance Festival, Lumbini Festival, Chakradhar Samaroha and Khajuraho Dance Festival to international stages in places like the USA, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Switzerland, and London, winning hearts wherever he goes.His dedication has earned him several accolades like the Odissi Yuva Gandharva Samman, Baishakhi Samman, Nrityabhushan, and Shreekshetra Nachuni Samman, to name a few.
With a view to passing the baton of Odissi dance and music to the next generation, Lucky established the Nritya Prajna Public Charitable Trust. Going the extra mile, he has been spreading the art far and wide, even training underprivileged children and orphans across regions and borders through online platforms.
