Bhubaneswar: Celebrated Odissi dance exponent and Padma Shri recipient Guru Kumkum Mohanty will be honoured with the prestigious Guru Sudhakar Sahoo Award 2026 during the Guru Sudhakar Sahoo Award Festival 2026 at Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar on July 24.
Organised by Sadhana Cultural Academy, the day-long festival will run from 10 am to 10 pm.
Founded by Guru Sudhakar Sahoo, the oldest living Odissi guru, the academy has, over the years, carved a niche for itself by providing a platform for budding and upcoming Odissi dancers to showcase their talent and share the stage space with established artistes.
Staying true to its tradition, this year’s festival will unfold in three sessions: morning, afternoon and evening. While junior artistes from different parts of the state will showcase their talents in the morning session, the promising young dancers will perform in the afternoon session. The evening session will bring the curtains down on a high note with the award giving ceremony and performances by acclaimed Odissi exponents.
Guru Smt Sanghamitra Muduli, a disciple of Guru Sudhakar Sahoo and secretary of Sadhana Cultural Academy informed that the evening session promises to be a feast for art lovers.
The line-up includes a solo Odissi recital by SNA awardee Smt Sangeeta Dash from Puducherry, another solo Odissi recital by Rinku Sahoo of Bhubaneswar, duet by Dibyashree Panda of Bhubaneswar and Arpita Pani of Hyderabad, besides group presentations by artistes of Nrutyalayam, Nrutyangana and Nupur, all based in Bhubaneswar.
Worth mentioning, the Guru Sudhakar Sahoo Award has previously been conferred on Padma Shri recipients Guru Datuk Ramli Ibrahim of Malaysia and Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, underscoring the award’s importance in the world of Indian classical dance.
