Bhubaneswar: The Rabindra Mandap auditorium here came alive with the rhythm, grace and expressive power of Odissi as Nupur, an institution dedicated to the teaching, promotion and preservation of Odissi dance, music and India’s rich cultural traditions, hosted three-day dance festival ‘Mallhar 2026’ on Thursday.
Founded in 1991 under the guidance of Guru Niranjan Rout, Nupur has over the years, carved a niche for itself in nurturing young talent and promoting Odissi dance and allied performing arts.
The institution also remains committed to preserving and promoting Indian and Vedic cultural traditions, while nurturing accomplished solo dancers and encouraging innovative group dance productions. Nupur conceived the festival with a larger purpose-to kindle cultural awareness among the younger generation and connect them with India’s vibrant artistic heritage.
The inaugural day unfolded across morning, afternoon and evening session, featuring around 50 artistes performing. However, the evening programme, in particular, proved to be a feast for art lovers.
The evening session commenced with the auspicious lighting the lamp ceremony by SNA awardee Odissi exponent Guru Snehaprava Samantaray, Chinta O Chetana’s general secretary Surendar Das and Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalay’s principal eminent Odissi vocalist Bijay Kumar Jena.
The dignitaries heaped praises on Guru Niranjan Rout for his unwavering dedication in nurturing talents and preserving and promoting Odissi dance and wished Nupur and Mallhar festival many more years of artistic excellence.
The spotlight was then shifted to the felicitation ceremony. Three noted personalities Odissi dancer Padma Shri Ileana Citaristi, celebrated Odissi dancer Guru Bichitrananda Swain and Mardala exponent Guru Satchidananda Das were felicitated. They were recently honoured with SNA awards.
The cultural evening commenced with a solo evocative Odissi recital by Mumbai-based Dr Smt Swapnokalpa Dasgupta, one of the torch bearers of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra style.
A recipient of the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, she has headed the dance department at the prestigious NCPA (National Centre for the Performing Arts) for the past 14 years.
She presented ‘Kali’, based the verses of Adi Shankaracharya. Choreographed by herself, music composed by Shivaprasad NN and Vijay Tambe, the piece portrayed the goddess in her shanta swaroopam, blending striking iconography with refined abhinaya.
Through impeccable facial expressions, supple movements and remarkable intensity and precision, she brought alive the many adornments, fierce grace and boundless compassion of the goddess, drawing sustained applause from the audience.
Keeping the momentum going, Biswabhushan Champatiray, a young disciple of Guru Niranjan Rout, presented ‘Ramayan’. Choreographed by Guru Niranjan Rout, music composed by Guru Sukant Kumar Kundu and rhythm composed by Guru Dhaneswar Swain, the piece traced the epic journey from Lord Rama’s birth to the slaying of Ravana.
The episodes depicting Sabari offering fruits to Rama and Jatayu sacrificing his life while attempting to rescue Sita emerged as the high points of the presentation. It was a visual delight, indeed.
The art lovers were then treated to a scintillating duet recital by Gokulshree Das and Kumari Vidisha Basumallik, disciples of Padma Shri Guru Durga Charan Ranbir.
They presented ‘Bajrakaanti Pallavi’ set to raga Bajrakanti and Tala Ektali, choreographed by Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, music by Guru Sukant Kumar Kundu and rhythm by Guru Dhaniswar Swain, followed by an abhinaya ‘Mana Udharana’, one of classic choreographies of legendary Guru Deba Prasad Das.
They both made their guru proud by giving justice to the choreographies and lived up to the high expectations of their guru and audience.
The penultimate item of the evening was ‘Dasamahavidya’ presented by senior artistes of Nupur. Choreographed by Guru Niranjan Rout, music composed by Guru Ramhari Das and rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain, the piece explored Goddess Kali, Goddess Bhubaneswari and Goddess Dhumavati.
The deft choreography and assured performances held the audience spellbound. The artistes were Snehamanjari Hota, Preetimayee Sahoo, Sanjana Gouda, Biswabhushan Champatiray, Jagatjit Das, Bibhu Prasad Behera and Dipti Prakash Champati.
The curtains finally came down on the evening with another evocative group presentation ‘Nari’ presented by the artistes of Odissi Dance Creation, founded by Guru Pankaj Kumar Pradhan.
Choreographed by the guru himself, music composed by Matruprasad Das and rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain, the piece explored the many dimensions of womanhood through the stories of Tapoi, Savitri and Yoshada to show—as a sister, wife and mother. Seamless entries and exits, crisp synchronisation and effective use of space added to the visual appeal of the presentation and won warm appreciation from the audience.
During the festival, the prestigious ‘Mallhar Samman 2026’ will be conferred upon eminent personalities including Guru Ghanshyam Panda, Guru Bhagirathi Mahapatra and Padma Shri Adwaita Charan Gadanayak.
The ‘Nupur Samman 2026’ will be conferred upon Guru Dr Pankaj Kumar Pradhan, Guru Purna Chandra Swain and Guru Ram Chandra Behera, while the ‘Guru Niranjan Rout Yuva Pratibha Samman’ will honour young talents Adya Arya Priyadarshini and Sai Soumyakanta.
With its blend of tradition, youthful energy and artistic excellence, Mallhar 2026 has set the stage for the celebration Odissi and its legacy.
