Bhubaneswar: This year, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award will be presented to Guru Niranjan Rout and Guru Ramhari Das for their invaluable contribution and lifetime achievement in the fields of Odissi dance and music respectively.
The duo will be felicitated at the five-day-long 28th edition of OMC GKCM Award Festival, hosted by Srjan–Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Nrityabasa at Rabindra Mandap, commencing from September 5.
The festival will also witness presentation of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Prativa Samman. The award will be presented to Smt. Geetanjali Acharya for Odissi dance and to Shri Matruprasad Das for Odissi music, acknowledging their dedication to their art forms and in recognition of their inspiring performances.
While Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award carries a purse of Rs. 1,00,000/- and a citation, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Prativa Samman carries a cash prize of Rs. 25,000/- and a citation.
The aim of instituting and presenting the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award is to confer recognition upon individuals for their outstanding contribution to the fields of Dance, Music, Cinema, and Theatre. Over 27 years, Srjan has presented 62 such awards to luminaries from these fields.
Similarly, the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Prativa Samman is presented to exceptionally talented performing artistes under the age of 40 years in the field of classical dance and Odissi music to acknowledge their outstanding performances.
Srjan has dedicated this year’s festival in memory of the late maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj ji, the legendary doyen of Kathak and fountain of inspiration in the world of classical Arts, revered by artistes across the world and across generations.
This year, the programme includes a diverse confluence of music and dance performances. The inaugural evening will feature a Hindustani Jugalbandi by Pandit Ronu Majumdar (Flute) and Ustad Taufiq Qureshi (Djembe), and following evenings will witness an Odissi vocal recital by Sushree Sristi Swarupa Mishra, a night of musical fusion by Bhubaneswar’s very own Shivagni Ensemble, and a Carnatic vocal recital by Shri Sikkil Gurucharan. Among the dance presentations are those by Bharatanatyam exponent Vidushi Geeta Chandran and her ensemble the Natya Vriksha Dance Collective, and Kathak by Vidushi Paramita Maitra and Nrityangan Kathak Kendra.
The concluding evening will feature the prestigious award ceremony, followed by the much-awaited finale by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra and the Srjan ensemble. They will present the Odissi dance ballet, Ravan. Defying the popular notion of Ravana, this Odissi production presents a novel understanding of the epic Ramayana. Portraying Ravana as the raison d’être of the Ramayana, the recital begins with an invocation to Dashanana, a departure from the customary invocation to gods and goddesses. Ravana, the “Mahanayaka,” who strove to attain moksha through strife, struggle, and warfare, is the all-powerful king who displayed rare courage, integrity, and perseverance, in spite of a variety of negative and evil traits.
The entire festival is curated, conceptualized, and designed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, with the programme execution by Shri Debiprasad Mishra.
Notably, the last two editions of the festival were organised on digital platforms due to the outbreak of the pandemic and the restrictions imposed.
The Award Festival is organised with the aim of creating and sustaining awareness of classical traditions in dance and music.
