Bhubaneswar: Renowned Odissi exponent Guru Smt Sasmita Mishra was the cynosure of all eyes at the sixteenth edition of Aekalavya Festival, organised by Lasyakala Dance Vision, one of the premier Odissi institutions in India, at Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar, on July 30.
Founded by acclaimed Odissi guru Saswat Joshi, Lasyakala Dance Vision organises Aekalavya Festival every year and presents the prestigious Aekalavya Samman to honour outstanding contributions to Indian classical dance.
This year’s accolade was conferred upon Guru Smt Sasmita Mishra during the inaugural ceremony.
The award was presented in the presence of an eminent gathering that included museologist Bhagyalipi Malla, celebrated vocalist Dr Jayashree Dhal, My Nest Pvt. Ltd. founder Adarsh Kumar and co-founder Suryakant Mangaljyoti Malick, social worker Smt Rosalin Patasani Mishra, politician and social thinker Priyadarshi Mishra, and entrepreneur and educationist Badrinarayan Patnaik.
Guru Smt Sasmita Mishra, who had the rare privilege of learning Odissi dance from Padma Shri Guru Gangadhar Pradhan and Guru Kanduri Charan Behera, has carved a niche for herself as an accomplished Odissi dancer, choreographer, and teacher.
A Nrutya Visharad from Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh, she has devoted herself to preserving and promoting the rich tradition of Indian classical dance. As the Founder and Artistic Director of Nrutyapuri Dance Academy, Hyderabad, she has been nurturing the next generation of Odissi dancers with passion, discipline, and devotion to the art form.
She is no stranger to awards and accolades as she received an award by the Department of Linguistics and Culture, Govt of Telengana in 2023, Best Dancer Award by Face of Artz in 2019, Got recognition by the Governor of Telengana in 2026. She has also participated at several prestigious festivals including Konark festival, International Dance festival, Odisha fest Hyderabad, Sur Singar Samsad Mumbai, among many more.
If the honour recognised her remarkable contribution to Odissi, her performance later in the evening drove the point home.
She presented ‘Nayika’, choreographed by Padma Shri Guru Gangadhar Pradhan with music composed by Guru Ramhari Das, holding the audience in the palm of her hand with her captivating presentation.
Her presentation unfolded through three distinct heroines -Vasaka Sajjika, who lovingly adorns herself and decorates her room while anticipating her union with Krishna, Virahotkanthita, consumed by the agony of separation as she longs for his arrival; and Khandita, who gets enraged as Krishna returns late at night with telltale signs of infidelity.
Seamlessly slipping into each character, Guru Mishra showcased impeccable abhinaya, expressive subtlety, and emotional depth. Her nuanced portrayal brought every shade of love, longing, anticipation, and betrayal vividly to life, leaving the rasikas thoroughly mesmerised.
