Bhubaneswar: The Bhanjakala Mandap here on Wednesday came alive with Chinmayee Classics, a premier Odissi dance and music institution in the state, holding another edition of its dance and music festival ‘Stabaka’.
As the dusk settled on the horizon of the capital city, art lovers started arriving the auditorium to witness the inaugural evening of two-day festival. Deputy Director of Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department, Government of Odisha, Smt Suchismita Mantry; president of Legal Akhila Bharata Hindu Mahasabha Dr Jayashri Mohapatra, paediatric surgeon Dr Kanishka Das and advocate Sovebita Ray graced the evening as esteemed guests and lit the auspicious lamp.
The highlight of the evening was the felicitation ceremony. Central Sangeet Natak Akademi (CSNA) awardee and eminent Odissi dance guru Dr Snehaprava Samantaray was honoured with ‘Stabaka Nrutya Bibhushan Samman 2026’, CSNA awardee and celebrated Mardala exponent Guru Dhaneswar Swain was awarded with ‘Stabaka Badya Bibhushan Samman 2026’ and Dr Kanishka Das was felicitated with ‘Stabaka Samman 2026’.
The cultural showcase began on a melodious note, with the students of music department of the host institution presenting soulful Hindustani vocal recitals.
They commenced their presentation with ‘Kisana Bole Bada Pyara Mora Bansuri’, set to Raga Khamaj, followed by a Ram bhajan ‘Hey Ram Hey Ram’. The young vocalists were accompanied by Guru Balakrushna Behera on the Harmonium, Prof Jabahar Mishra on the Flute and Smruti Ranjan Padhi and Bhimsen Parida were on the Tabla.
The evening then shifted to scintillating dance performances.
Rudraprasad Swain and Ananya Parida presented ‘Ardhanariswara’, choreographed by legendary Guru Padma Bibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra, duet choreography by Rudraprasad, music composed by Padma Shri Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi.
The next item was a group presentation by eight students of Chinmayee Classics. They presented ‘Panchadeva Stutee’, paying homage to five deities such as Lord Ganesha, Lord Sun, Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Devi.
The dancers who left the art lovers with their remarkable stage presence and synchronization were Diana Mohanty, Samidha Nanda, Anushka Das, Vaishnabi Mohanty, Ananya Ray, Subhashree Rout and Sarbani Senapati.
The following item was again a group Odissi presentation Mahari Dance ‘Mani Bimane Govinda’, narrating the scenes of deities being taken on palanquins for chandan yatra. It was a visual delight. The dancers were Divyanshi Mishra, Trisha Mohapatra, Madhusmita Pradhan, Banya Jena, Debasmita Das, Debiswarupa Barik, Myra Shivangi Pradhan, Dhanvi Pattanayak, Amrita Sahoo, and Swarnamayee Sahoo.
The fourth item of the evening was a duet Odissi dance recital by Shreya Mishra and Sai Prarthana Raut, disciples of Guru Bijaya Kumar Das.
They presented ‘Shiva Panchakam’, choreographed by Padma Shri Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, music composed by Sangeeta Sudhakar Balakrushna Das and direction by Guru Bijaya Kumar Das. The dancer duo left the audience captivated with their immaculate body movements and expressions.
Keeping the momentum going, Daina Mohanty, Anushka Das, Ananya Ray, Divyanshi Mishra, Trisha Mohapatra, Sarbani Senapati, Banya Jena and Swarnamayee Sahoo presented a pure dance, a combination of Batu, choreographed by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and music composed by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra, and Sthayee, choreographed by Padma Shri Guru Pankaj Charan Das. The presentation received a wide round of applause.
The concluding item of the evening was a group presentation by 18 artistes of Chinmayee Classics. They presented Krishnaleela ‘Kede Chhanda Jane Lo Sahi’. In the item, the dancers narrated Lord Krishna’s childhood pranks beautifully, leaving the art lovers glued to their seats.
The seamless anchoring of Er (Dr) Srinivas Ghatuary, whose engaging narration added warmth and continuity to the program.
Founded by noted Odissi dancer Guru Prabhati Kar, a disciple of legendary guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, in 1991, Chinmayee Classics has carved a niche for itself and has been making tremendous efforts to nurture talents and popularise Odissi dance, music, instrumental and arts and crafts on both national and international stages, keeping the state’s rich cultural heritage alive.
