Bhubaneswar: The seventh edition of Guru Gopikrushna Utsav was held at Bhanjakala Mandap in Bhubaneswar on October 10.
Jointly organized by Guru Gopikrushna Foundation and Nrutyalaya, the festival has already earned a special place in the city cultural calendar. The driving force behind the festival, Guru Sanatan Nayak, who founded Nrutyalaya in 2003, continues to inspire generations by imparting quality training and propagating the dance form across the globe.
It was a day-long festival with morning, afternoon and evening sessions featuring around 100 artistes who kept the audience spellbound with their performances.
The evening session was inaugurated by secretary of Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Dr Chandra Sekhar Hota, Mardala exponent Guru Dhaneswar Swain, director of Project Chhauni Subhashree Mukherjee, Odissi dancer Guru Niranjan Rout. Nrutyalaya’s founder Guru Sanatan Nayak and secretary Kshamakar Swain also present on the dais.
As part of the felicitation ceremony, eminent personalities-lyricist Alekh Chandra Biswal, Odissi vocalist Guru Ramahari Das, Odissi dancer Guru Dhrubacharan Biswal and theatre personality Manoj Kumar Pattanayak- were conferred with Guru Gopikrushna Samman, acknowledging their immense contribution to their respective field.
Similarly, young Odissi dancers like Snehamanjari Hota, Manoj Kumar Pradhan, Ankita Behera and Dushmanta Kumar Swain were felicitated with Guru Gopikrushna Yuva Prativa Samman.
The evening began on a high note with a scintillating duet Odissi dance performance by Sonali Das and Chinmay Kumar Das, both disciples of Guru Dr Jyotsnarani Sahoo, the founder of Soor Mandir, an Odissi dance institution in Cuttack.
They presented an abhinaya ‘Pacharile Dine Radhika Ku’, choreographed by Guru Jyotsnarani Sahoo, music by Guru Swapneswar Chakraborty and rhythm by Guru Sachidananda Das. Their bhava-laden performance received thunderous applause.
After the inauguration and felicitation ceremonies, the first item of the evening was a group Odissi dance recital by the senior dancers of Nrutyalaya. They presented ‘Natanarayan Pallavi’, choreographed by Guru Sanatan Nayak.
With their precision and symmetry, the well-trained dancers-Jashaswini Swain, Jharanarani Barik, Sita Murmu, Binodini Sahoo, Supriya Pani and Adyasha Anandita-left the audience glued to their seats.
Acclaimed soloist and Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar recipient Rajashree Praharaj then took the stage with a soulful presentation of an abhinaya ‘Sri Ramachandra Krupalu Bhajamana’, composed by Tulisdas in praise of Lord Ram, set to Raga Ragamalika and Tala Jati and Aravi, choreographed by Guru Ratikanta Mohapatra and music by Pradeep Kumar Das.
Her elaborate depiction of Sita Swayamvar and Ram-Ravan conflict immediately stroke a chord with the connoisseurs. Her flexible body movements, facial expressions and immaculate abhinaya skills made the presentation an entertaining one, winning the hearts of many spectators.
The light design by Debiprasad Mishra need special mention here. Since the central character of the presentation is Lord Ram, he kept the blue lights on throughout the presentation, adding a divine aura to the performance.
Keeping the standard of the evening, young and talented Odissi dancer Rinku Kumar Sahoo, a disciple of Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, came onto the stage.
He presented ‘Ardhanariswara’, one of the classic choreographies of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. His presentation was marked by flawless execution, suggesting his maturity and dedication.
The fifth item of the evening was a duet Odissi dance recital by two talented disciples of Padma Shri recipient Odissi dancer Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, Bidisha Basumallick and Rohini Samal.
They presented ‘Govindadamodar Ashtakam’, choreographed by Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, music and rhythm composed by Guru Sukant Kumar Kundu and Guru Dhaneswar Swain respectively. Their precision and graceful fluidity brought a touch of lyrical beauty to the stage.
The following performer was Barsha Priyadarshani Sarangi, who started learning Odissi at the age of eight and is presently honing her skills at Bimohana Odissi Dance Institution under the watchful eyes of Guru Rashmi Ranjan Barik.
She offered a captivating portrayal of ‘Nagendra Haraya’, choreographed by Padma Shri recipient Odissi dancer Guru Aruna Mohanty, direction by Guru Rashmi Ranjan Barik. Here, she narrated various aspects of Lord Shiva while sculpting her poses in a fine manner. It was a visual delight, indeed.
The concluding item of the evening was a group Odissi dance recital by five senior dancers of Nupur Dance Academy.
They presented ‘Panchabhuta’, choreographed by Guru Niranjan Rout, music by Guru Ramahari Das and rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain and Ajay Kumar Barik. The dancers were Akanksha Das, Sanjana Gouda, Yoshada Barik, Bibhuprasad Behera, and Dipti Prakash Champati. Their neat performance left the audience enthralled.
As the curtains came down, the audience erupted in applause, marking it Nrutyalaya’s yet another successfully-organized festival.
The anchor of the evening was Punya Darshan Sahoo.
