Bhubaneswar: The Rabindra Mandap auditorium was on Saturday reverberated with Sangeet Sudhakar Balakrushna Das’s evergreen Odia classics such like ‘Bhuja Tale Rakha…’, ‘Bitilata Jamini…’, ‘Marama Tale…’ ‘Baulo Ki Kahibi Nua Bhauja Nka Katha…’ and many others, transporting the audience down memory lane and keeping the timeless legacy of Sangeet Sudhakar Balakrushna Das alive and kicking.
The occasion was the Sangeet Sudhakar Balakrushna Das Foundation celebrated the legendary music icon’s 103rd birth anniversary and the foundation’s 34th annual day.
The evening was inaugurated by lighting the ceremonial lamp by His Excellency Hon’ble Governor of Odisha Hari Babu Khambampati, member of Human Rights Commission, India, Dr Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi, chairman of the Odisha Subordinate Staff Selection Commission Dr Lalit Das and executive manager (HR), Nalco, Ashutosh Rath. The foundation’s president Manoranjan Panigrahi and secretary Guru Ramhari Das were also present on the dais.
The spotlight was then shifted to the felicitation ceremony. Celebrated Bharatanatyam and Odissi exponent Padma Vibhushan Dr Sonal Mansingh was awarded with Sangeet Sudhakar Balakrushna Das Memorial Award 2026.
Several distinguished artistes from the world of music, dance and literature were also brought into the spotlight for their outstanding contributions.
They included vocalist Dr Sangeeta Gosain, percussionist Ajay Kumar Choudhury, Odissi dancer Guru Ratikant Mohapatra and lyricist Sirshananda Das Kanungo were honoured with ‘Sangeet Saraswati Swamman’, ‘Badya Sawarswati Samman’, ‘Nrutya Saraswati Samman’ and ‘Geeta Saraswati Samman’ respectively.
On this occasion, while Sushree Rashmirekha Parida was awarded ‘Sangeet Sudhakar Memorial Scholarship’, Kalasanskruti editor-in-chief Pradeep Pattanayak and The Sambad journalist Sushree Sasmita Sahoo were felicitated with ‘Sambadik Gourav Samman’.
While addressing the gathering, Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati described Sangeet Sudhakar Balakrushna Das as an institution in himself, whose contribution to Odisha’s cultural landscape continues to cast a long shadow over generations of artistes and music lovers alike.
In the following musical evening, Mahaprasad Kar, son of legendary musician late Prafulla Kar, set the ball ringing by singing ‘Bhuja Tale Rakha…’ followed by ‘Aau Chandalagi Kumuda…’ by Shrusti Swarupa Mishra, ‘Basanta Jhume…’ by Siddhant Satapathy, ‘E Lagane…’ by Bhagyashree Mohanty, ‘Bitilata Jamini…’ by Rupak Kumar Parida, ‘Mo Painee Jale Sie…’ by Baishnabi Ghosh, ‘Marama tale…’ by Guru Ramhari Das and ‘Baulo Ki Kahibi Nua Bhauja Nka Katha…’ by Sangeeta Gosain.
The other singers who left the audience glued to their seats with their captivating performances were Mohapatra Minati Bhanj, Dr Bijay Jena, Dr Nimakanta Routray, Dr Sachikanta Nayak, Harapriya Swain, Dr Adyasha Das, Chhanda Mishra, Anuja Tarini Mishra, Matru Prasad Das, Sourabh Nayak, Sushant Panda, Jayasmita Kuanr, Dr Himanshu Swain, Satyapriya Mohapatra, Adyasha Abhijita, Mamata Srichandan and Basundhara Parida.
The anchor of the evening was Dr Mrutyanjay Rath who engaged the audience with his effortless anchoring, adding depth and context to each performance.
With flawless arrangements and a packed cultural programme, the event turned out to be a fitting tribute to a legendary musician whose songs continue to strike a chord across generations.
