Bhubaneswar: Srjan-organised 27th OMC Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival kick started Sunday. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the five-day-long festival, for the second consecutive year, is being organised virtually on the Srjan GKCMON Facebook page and YouTube channel.
With Guru Ratikanta Mohapatra’s welcome address, the programme started. Veteran actress and dancer, Dr. Vyjayanthimala Bali and veteran dancer and MP Smt. Hema Malini gave their inspiring speeches. Among others, Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Minister, Tourism and Odia Literature Language and Culture, and Balwant Singh, Managing Director, Odisha Mining Corporation Ltd. also shared their virtual messages on this inaugural evening. The festival was also attended virtually by several dignitaries, influential citizens, and luminaries from the world of Art.
Senior disciple of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and founder/artistic director of Sanjali Centre for Odissi dance, Bangalore, Sharmila Mukerjee kick started the inaugural evening with her power-packed performance. She presented three dance pieces, beginning with a Mangalacharan, invoking the blessings of Lord Jagannath for an auspicious beginning. In this Mangalacharan, the shloka was a Saraswati Vandana, describing the goddess of music, eternal learning, and the arts in all her splendour. The presentation was choreographed by Sharmila Mukerjee herself, music composed by Debashish Sarkar. Her second presentation was Visaarini, a uniquely choreographed pure dance piece in raag Darbari. It brought out the Odissi diction and the movement oeuvre to the forefront, exploring the dynamic aspects of choreography as well as the by lanes of Odissi grammar.
She concluded her presentations with a timeless and evergreen composition of the legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra set to the music composition of Pt. Bhubaneswar Mishra—Yahi Madhava, Yahi Keshava, an Ashtapadi from Shri Jayadeva’s Geeta Govinda. In this expressive piece, Smt. Sharmila Mukerjee depicted the nuances of the khandita nayika beautifully. Her performances ticked all boxes. Her graceful movements and nuanced expressions need special mention.
In her presentations, she was ably accompanied on Vocals by Debashish Sarkar, on the Mardala by Satchidananda Das, on the Flute by Srinibas Satapathy, on the Violin by Agnimitra Behera, and on the Sitar,Chandrachur Bhattacharya.
The next item was a mesmerizing violin recital by renowned violinist, Dr. Sangeeta Shankar. Specializing in the Gayaki Ang or the “Singing Violin,” evoking all the emotions of a human voice through the violin, she explored the intricacies and nuances of Raag Abhogi Kanada and Raag Khamaj. Her first performance was a Khyal in Vilambit Ektal, Madhya and Dhrut Teen Taal. She concluded with a Thumri of Banaras in Ektal, in Raag Khamaj. Pt. Ajeet Pathak lent her support on the Tabla. With this mellifluous performance, the inaugural evening came to an end.
The programmes were conducted with strict adherence to all the government mandated COVID-19 safety guidelines, while maintaining the required social distancing norms.
Srjan dedicated this year’s festival in memory of Guruma, late Smt. Laxmipriya Mohapatra, the first ever dancer to perform Odissi on stage and the fountain of inspiration for many doyennes of Odissi dance.
Photo courtesy: Srjan
