Bhubaneswar: Nritya Prajna Utsav 2025, organized at Bhanjakala Mandap here on Saturday by Nritya Prajna Public Charitable Trust, an Odissi dance institution established by Lucky Prajna Pratisthita Mohanty, witnessed a confluence of three gharanas like Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra gharana, Guru Debaprasad Das gharana, and Adiguru Pankaj Charan Das gharana, weaving a tapestry of Odissi tradition for an appreciative audience.
With the auspicious lighting the lamp ceremony graced by eminent Odissi dancer Padma Shri Guru Kumkum Mohanty, Odissi exponent Smt Snehaprava Samantaray, Chandra Sekhar Hota, secretary of Odisha Sahitya Academy and Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy; Rabindranath Mohanty, an educationist and social worker, Sriram Dash, a journalist, Lt Col. Sonali Rath (Retd), a former president of Rotary International and Jitendriya Mohanty, former company secretary of OTDC, the festival got off to a fine start.
The first item of the evening was a group Odissi recital presented by nine young dancers of the trust. They presented a Mangalacharan ‘Panchadeva Stutee’, an invocatory piece in praise of five Gods-Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva, Surya and Devi.
Set to raga Mohana Kalyan and tala Jati and Ektali, the item was originally choreographed by Guru Kanduri Charan Behera and directed by Lucky Prajna Pratisthita Mohanty. The dancers were Barnana Das, Sayantani Samadar, Sanvi Sahu, Sadhana Sanvi, Asjita Pradhan, Tanisha Mohanty, Abhishree Roy, Prajna Priyadarshini Singh and Samiksha. Their space management and synchronisation set the ball for rolling for an aesthetic evening.
The next performer was Lucky Prajna Pratisthita Mohanty himself, who did her guru Kumkum Mohanty proud. She was in the audience.
He presented ‘Kalavatri Pallavi’ set to raga Kalavati and tala Jhampa, originally choreographed by Kumkum Mohanty, music composed by Pt Damodar Hota and rhythm by Mardala guru Sachidanand Das.
With his balanced movements and grace of Tribhangi, he instantly struck a chord with the art lovers, cajoling them to soak in Odissi’s lyricism.
The third item was by Guru Suhag Nalini Das, daughter-in-law of Adiguru Pankaj Charan Das.
She presented ‘Rasa Panchaka’, one of the ancient choreographies of Adiguru which is written by Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja, revived by his son Sarat Das, music composed by Guru Ramhari Das and rhythm composed by Guru Dhaneswar Swain.
Her evocative portrayal of the nayika’s beauty and bashful glances left the audience captivated.
The spotlight then shifted to Bipanchi Das, daughter of Guru Debaprasad Das.
She presented ‘Krishna Priti’, choreographed by Das herself, music composed by Guru Ramhari Das and K Ramarao Patra and rhythm composed by Guru Dhaneswar Swain and Ajay Choudhury.
Employing her excellent abhinaya skills, she brought alive Radha’s longing in ‘Krishna Priti’ in a very poetic manner through her expressive abhinaya, pulling at the heartstrings of the audience.
The next performer was Preetisha Mohapatra, granddaughter of legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. She presented an Ashtapadi, from poet Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda ‘Chandana Charchita Nila Kalebara’, one of the classic choreographies by guruji and music by Pt Bhubaneswar Mishra.
Adorned in a yellow saree, she portrayed how Krishna reveling in the company of Gopa’s damsels. Her expressive eyes and lyrical torso movements held the audience spellbound, proving her mettle as a dancer carrying forward the family tradition with elan.
The audience was then treated with a group recital ‘Ahe Nila Saila’, by the senior dancers of the host institution. The item, a famous choreography of guruji set to raga Mishra Aarabi and tala Jati has been a favourite of dancers.
They nicely depicted Vishnu’s grace, Narasimha’s wrath and Krishna’s compassion towards Draupadi. Powerful group choreography, maintaining rhythmic precision and expressive storytelling made the presentation enjoyable.
The dancers were Khyati Mohanty, Khyavna Mohanty, Shreeyan Shree Dash, Tanaya Tanisha Behera, Ananya Prusty, Priyanshi Sahoo and Tejashwini Mishra.
The concluding item of the evening was also a group recital by the students of Bidya Institute, an Odissi dance institute established by Odissi dancer Bidya Das in Cuttack.
The dancers-Sunaina Subuddhi, Aaradhya Padmalaya, Shreeyashree Behera, Snehashree Behera and Garima Patra-presented ‘Nagendra Haraya’, choreographed by Guru Ratikanta Mohapatra, set to raga Mishra Bhairabi and tala Khemata, showcasing the vibrant younger generation’s take on classic Odissi with confidence and synchrony.
While Biswajit Baliarsingh did the seamless anchoring, Sasmita Parida, secretary of the trust, gave away vote of thanks.
Through Nritya Prajna Public Charitable Trust, Lucky, a disciple of Padma Shri Kumkum Mohanty and an ‘A’ grade artiste of Prasar Bharati, has ensured that Odissi’s timeless rhythms and stories continue to dance their way into the hearts of the next generation, beyond boundaries.
