Bhubaneswar: The two-day-long ‘Mallhar’ festival, organised by Nupur, concluded at Rabindra Mandap here on Sunday with a bouquet of scintillating solo, duet and group Odissi dance performances.
The evening was inaugurated with lighting the auspicious lamp by guests Central Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Gotipua and Odissi Guru Gobinda Chandra Pal and renowned Mardala maestro Guru Dhaneswar Swain. Guru Niranjan Rout, founder of Nupur, was also present on the dais.
One of the premier Odissi dance institutions in the state, Nupur was established in Bhubaneswar in 1991. It has since been nurturing talents and hosting its annual festival ‘Mallhar’.
After the lighting the lamp ceremony, three distinguished personalities were awarded with ‘Mallhar Samman’.
This year’s awardees were Padma Shri recipient eminent Odissi dancer Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, Padma Shri recipient eminent singer Dr Jitendra Haripal and secretary of Odisha Sahitya Akademi and Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Dr Chandra Sekhar Hota for their outstanding contributions to the field of art and culture.
The guests and the awardees showered their blessings on Nupur and wished its further growth.
The first item of the concluding evening was a mesmerising solo Odissi dance recital by young and promising dancer Rinku Kumar Sahoo, a disciple of Guru Ratikanta Mohapatra.
He presented ‘Ardhanariswar’, a timeless choreographed by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and music composed by Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi. The item explored the philosophy of duality within human beings is illustrated through the divine union of Shiva and Parvati and their contrasting divine attributes.
This was followed by a poignant duet Odissi dance recital ‘Varsha Viraha’ by Rudraprasad Swain and Ananya Parida. This composition, drawing its soul from a poem by Mayadhar Mansingh, is about a nayak, who is deeply enamored with his beloved, yet consumed by sorrow in her absence.
While Rudraprasad Swain under the guidance of Guru Rama Vaidyanathan, choreographed it, it’s music composed by Guru Sukanta Kumar Kundu, rhythm by Guru Bijay Kumar Barik and ukuta by Guru Dhaneswar Swain.The presentation was marked by immaculate nritta, nrutya and abhinaya. It was a visual delight indeed.
The following item was a solo Odissi dance recital by young and talented dancer Bidisha Basumaalik, a disciple of Guru Durga Charan Ranbir.
She commenced her performance with a Pallavi based on Raga Rageshree, followed by an abhinaya ‘Mohone Deli Chanhi Go’. Both the items were choreographed by Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, music composed by Guru Sukanta Kumar Kundu and rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain. From the very beginning she sculpted her moves carefully and with her clarity of mudras, fluidity and nuanced expressions, captivated the audience.
The festival then witnessed a vibrant group recital by the dancers of Kalindi Ahaban Cultural Association, a Kolkata-based Odissi dance institution established by Sriparna Bose in 2003.
Guru Bose and her disciples Samanwita Biswas, Abhishikta Ghosh, Principia Chakroborty and Adwitiya Dey presented ‘Ananda Bhairavi Pallavi’, set to Raga Ananda Bhairavi and Tala Ektali, choreographed by Guru Muralidhar Majhi, followed by Moksha, based on Raga Bageshree and Tala Ektali and choreographed by Guru Muralidhar Majhi before concluding with Khya Champu, set to Raga Kedar and Tala Tripata, written by Kabisurya Baldev Rath and choreographed by Guru Aloka Kanungo.
The dancers’ excellent synchronization, space management, expressions and balanced body movements left the audience in awe.
The concluding item of the evening was again a group presentation by six talented dancers of Nupur. They presented ‘Panchabhuta’, choreographed by Guru Noiranjan Rout, music by Ramhari Das and rhythm composed by Guru Dhaneswar Swain and Ajay Kumar Barik, depicting how human beings are born out of the five elements such as earth, water, fire, wind and ether and finally return to them.
The dancers Akanksha Das, Bibhuprasad Behera, Yoshada Barik, Unkil Maleswari, Diptiprakash Champati and Sanjana Gouda drew the curtains with a neat performance that had the audience glued to their seats till the very end.
With this, ‘Mallhar 2025’ concluded on a high note, reaffirming Nupur’s role as a torchbearer in preserving and promoting the timeless legacy of Odissi dance.
