Bhubaneswar: The 24th edition of Ekamra Nrutya Mahotsav, a national level classical dance and music festival, wrapped up on a high note on Sunday, leaving rasikas spellbound for four days. Organised by Suravi, an Odissi dance institution established by Guru Dr Pitambar Biswal, the festival was held at Utkal Rangamanch within the premises of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre (GKCMORC).
The concluding evening witnessed the presence of distinguished guests including Padma Shree Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, Padma Shri Guru Aruna Mohanty, Chhau dance exponent and Project Chhauni’s executive director Smt Subhashree Mukherjee, who lit the ceremonial lamp. Suravi’s president Chhittaranjan Satapathy and secretary Guru Dr Pitambar Biswal were also on the stage.
The spotlight soon shifted to the felicitation ceremony where accomplished Odissi dancer Janhabi Behera was felicitated with ‘Suravi Samman’.
A recipient of ‘Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Purashkar’, Janhabi has come a long way from her initial training from Guru Sri Ramesh Chandra Jena and Guru Sri Yudhistir Nayak to refining her skills under the watchful eyes of Guru Gangadhar Pradhan and Guru Arun Mohanty. Today, she stands tall as a compelling soloist in the Odissi arena.
Janhabi was the first performer of the evening. She commenced her recital with Jagannatha Astakam, an invocation to Lord Jagannath, followed by a graceful Khamaj Pallavi, set to Raga Khamaj and Tala Ektali, choreographed and direction by Padma Shri Guru Aruna Mohanty, music by Guru Bijay Kumar Jena, rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain and Guru Bijay Kumar Barik.
The cherry on the top was her abhinaya ‘Kuru Yadu Nandan’, the last Ashtapadi of Gita Govinda written by 12th century poet Jayadeva, choreographed and direction by Guru Aruna Mohanty and music composed by Dr Subash Pani. With her lyrical body movements, nuanced facial expressions and evocative netrabhinaya, she breathed life into Radha’s ecstatic union with Krishna, proving she knows how to hit all the right notes.
She was lent a good support by an ensemble of talented musicians such as Guru Bijay Kumar Barik on the Mardala, Smt Harapriya Swain on Vocal, Suramani Ramesh Chandra Das on the Violin, Soumya Ranjan Joshi on the Flute and Ms Rojalin Mohapatra on the Manjira.
Then came the highlight of the evening, a group Odissi dance ‘Ashta Vinayak’, newly choreographed by Guru Dr Pitambar Biswal and presented by his senior disciples.
Performed by ten well-trained dancers-Digvijay Biswal, Shreelipta Das, Shilpi Shaloni Adhikari, Priyanka Priyadarshini, Krutika Mohapatra, Kriti Vijayini, Jashmin Ransingh, Prachi Priyadarshini, Rojalin Mishra and Suravi Behura-the item painted a vivid tapestry of eight forms of Lord Ganesh such as ‘Vikata’, ‘Ekadanta’, ‘Gajanana’, ‘Vakratunda’, ‘Lambodara’, ‘Mahodara’, ‘Vighnaraja’ and ‘Dhumravarna’ and the characteristics of each form.
With razor-sharp coordination and seamless formations, the dancers held the audience in the palm of their hand for the entire duration. The choreography bore Biswal’s signature finesse—meticulous, visually striking, and emotionally resonant.
While Guru K Ramarao Patra has written the item’s script, Himanshu Sekhar Swain and Guru Dhaneswar Swain have composed its music and rhythm respectively. And the musicians who lent a good support were Sitakanta Jena on the Mardala, Satyabrata Katha on Vocal, Sibananda Barik on the Manjira, Suramani Ramesh Chandra Das on the Violin, Soumya Ranjan Joshi on the flute and Prakash Chandra Mohapatra on the Sitar.
While Biswajit Baliarsingh was the anchor of the evening, Abhijit Biswal was the light designer for the festival.
A disciple of Padma Shri Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, Guru Dr Pitambar Biswal has carved a niche for himself with elegant productions and a down-to-earth demeanour. He along with his students has participated at several prestigious festivals including the Nishagandhi Dance Festival (Thiruvananthapuram), Kakatiya Festival (Warangal), Dusshera Festival (Kullu), Konark Festival (Odisha), and Chakradhar Samaroha (Chhattisgarh).
No stranger to accolades, his name is already etched in the annals of Indian classical dance with honours such as ‘Kala Bhushan’ (Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra), ‘Nrutya Shree’, ‘Radha Krushna Samman’, ‘Nrutya Siromani’, and ‘Natya Shree’, among others. Not content with just performing, Dr. Biswal’s contribution to nurturing talent through ‘Suravi’ has been invaluable. Since its inception in 2003, the institution has been a cradle for budding dancers, while the annual Ekamra Nrutya Mahotsav has grown into a cornerstone event on the cultural calendar.
The festival’s first edition was a humble beginning at Ekamra Haat in Bhubaneswar in 2003. Ekamra Haat is refereed as Shoppers’ paradise where a buyer can get everything starting from handloom products to handicrafts to home need articles to mouthwatering typical Odia cuisine. In the centre of the Haat, there is an open-air stage where cultural programmes are held.
Ekamra Haat’s open-air stage continued to be the festival’s venue till 2007. In 2008, the venue was shifted to Jayadev Bhawan where it continued till 2017. And from 2018 onwards, the festival is being organised at Utkal Rangamanch.
Today, it stands as a vibrant platform where tradition meets tomorrow, giving both emerging and seasoned artistes their moment in the spotlight.
