Bhubaneswar: A two-day-long Malhar Mahotsav-2023, organised by Nupur, one of the premier Odissi dance institutions of the state founded by Guru Niranjan Rout, was inaugurated at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar on August 16.
Like the past years, this year too the festival ticked all the boxes of any national level dance festival.
After the customary lighting the lamp ceremony attended by guests comprising secretary of the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Prabodh Rath, Guru Dhaneshwar Swain, Guru Sukanta Kumar Kundu, secretary of Chinta O Chetana Surendra Das, Guru Aloka Kanungo and Guru Snehaprava Samantaray, there was felicitation ceremony before the cultural evening.
Four young and talented dancers-Akanksha Dash, Sasmita Behera, Shreyashree Maharana and Debangi Gandhi- were felicitated with Guru Niranjan Rout Pratibha Samman.
The inaugural item was ‘Guru Krupahin Kebalam’ wher the dancers of Nupur depicted it that without a Guru, one can’t achieve success in his/her pursuit. The synchronisation of the dancers left the art lovers hooked to their seats. While the item was written and conceived by dance researcher Dr Srinivas Ghatuary, dance choreographed by Guru Niranjan Rout, music composed by Guru Ramhari Das and rhythm composed by Guru Dhaneshwar Swain.
The second item of the evening was an abhinaya presented by hearing-impaired Odissi dancer Sonali Mohapatra. A disciple of Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, Mohapatra presented ‘Kede Chhanda Janelo Sahi’, one of the finest choreographies of Guru Debaprasad Das. In the item directed by Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, music composed by Guru Ramhari Das and rhythm composed by Guru Dhaneshwar Swain, she depicted mother Yashoda wondering over kid Krishna’s super-human activities. Mohapatra executed all the episodes of Krishna stealing butter, Yashoda punishing him, Krishna filling his mouth with mud, Yashoda rebuking him and seeing the universe in Krishna’s mouth. But the delineation of little Krishna killing devil Putana stood out.
The following item was the highlight of the evening. Radheshyam Tarai from Berhampur in Odisha presented ‘Simhanandini’, one of the distinct features of Kuchipudi dance.
In the last part of his presentation, he danced on a piece of red-coloured cloth spread on the dance floor. The drawing of a lion, the vehicle of Goddess Durga, emerged as he danced on the cloth with different padavedas (foot positions). Finally, the piece of the cloth was lifted for the audience to see the drawing. The engrossing audience appreciated and the auditorium was reverberated with thunderous applause.
The item was based on Ragam Ragamalika and Talam Simhanandana tala and choreographed by Voleti Rangamani.
Next, Nivedita Daw Dutta from Kolkata came onto the stage. A disciple of eminent Odissi dancer Guru Aloka Kanungo, presented Vasant Pallavi, based on raga Vasant and tala talamalika and an abhinaya ‘To lagi Gopadanda Mana’, choreographed by Odissi doyen Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, music composed by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra and dance direction by Guru Aloka Kanungo. The item was based on raga Shankarabharana and tala Khemata. Nivedita, who recently received the junior research fellowship from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, left the art connoisseurs mesmerized with her excellent facial expressions, body movements and stage management.
The concluding item of the evening was a group presentation by seven dancers of Jagruti Cultural Academy. Monalisa Das, Shrutika Behera, Sasmita Behera, Jasmin Das, Ankita Das, Solani Pattanayak presented ‘Dasabatara’, the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, choreographed by Odissi maestro Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and dance direction by Trilochan Sahu and Dushmant Kumar Behera. With excellent synchronisation, the dancers beautifully narrated each avatar, giving the audience an engrossing viewing experience.
Dr Srinivas Ghatuary was the emcee of the evening.
