Bhubaneswar: The three-day Mukteswar Dance Festival, organized by Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department, Government of Odisha in association with Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi, drew to a majestic close with an enchanting evening of Odissi dance performances at the magnificent Mukteswar Temple here on Sunday.
Set against the backdrop of the 10th-century Mukteswar Temple—widely regarded as one of Odisha’s most exquisite architectural masterpieces—the performances felt as though the stone carvings themselves had sprung into rhythmic motion.
The evening commenced with the ceremonial lighting the lamp by Prof. Priyambada Mohanty Hejmadi, Eminent Odissi Dancer & Former VC, Sambalpur University; Smt. Kum Kum Mohanty, Eminent Odissi Dancer; Guru Dr. Aruna Mohanty, Eminent Odissi Dancer & Secretary, Orissa Dance Academy; Dr. Bijay Ketan Upadhyay Secretary, Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department; Shri Deba Prasad Dash, Special Secretary, Odia Language, Literature, Culture; Dr. Chandrasekhar Hota, Secretary, Odisha Sangita Natak Akademi.
The opening presentation of the evening was a choral invocation in praise of Lord Shiva by the student of Utkal University of Culture, Bhubaneswar, setting a deeply spiritual tone for the evening.
Young and talented Odissi dancer Lucky Prajna Pratisthita Mohanty began his recital with ‘Kalabati Pallavi’, set to Rag- Kalabati and Taal- Jhampa, a composition of Guru Padmashree Kumkum Mohanty and music composed by Pandit Damodor Hota. This was followed by an Abhinaya ‘Mana Sumana’, set to Raga Khamaj and Tala Rupak. His presentations were marked by precision and clarity of movements.
In duet Sayani Chakraborty & Shubham Kumar Ojha presented ‘Shivamdhimayee’, a powerful tribute to Lord Shiva, followed by ‘Sakhi Gopinath’ portraying the sacred bond between the devotee and the divinity. The dance was choreographed by Guru Dr. Aruna Mohanty. The artistes’ body movements and facial expressions instantly struck a chord with the art lovers.
The concluding presentation of the evening was a group Odissi presentation by the students of Odissi Dance Creation led by Guru Pankaj Kumar Pradhan. The group opened its recital with ‘Bisweswar Vandana’, the auspicious Mangalacharan is an invocation that sanctifies space, body and breath followed by ‘Madhyamadi Pallavi’ a luminous architecture of pure dance, set to the resonant contours of Raga Madhyamadi.
Their last item was ‘Chandana Charchita’ from Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda, choreographed by Guru Pankaj Kumar Pradhan, music by Guru Srinibash Satpathy and rhythm composed by Guru Bijay Kumar Barik. The artistes’ space management and synchronization made it enjoyable.
The programme was smoothly anchored by Dr. Srinibas Ghatuary and Dr. Nazia Alam, bringing the memorable evening to a graceful close.
