Bhubaneswar: The third edition of the Meera Festival of Dances unfolded in a spectacular fashion at Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar, on Monday.
Organized by Nrutyayan, a premier Odissi dance institution founded by Padma Shri Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, this two-day festival has firmly established itself as a landmark event in Odisha’s cultural calendar.
The festival’s inauguration saw the presence of Arun Kumar Behera, Additional Secretary, Department of Steel and Mines, Bhagyalipi Malla, Superintendent of Odisha State Museum, and Jagannath Pradhan, State Executive Member, BJP, Odisha. They lit the ceremonial lamp, marking the beginning of an enchanting celebration of classical dance.
Honoring Excellence in Classical Dance
The festival’s opening ceremony was followed by a prestigious felicitation ceremony, where two eminent artistes were recognized for their contributions to Indian classical dance.
The Guru Durga Charan Ranbir Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred upon Padma Shri Ranjana Gauhar, a celebrated Odissi exponent, while the Guru Durga Charan Ranbir Yuva Puraskar was awarded to Dr. Mandakranta Roy, a distinguished Bharatnatyam dancer.
A Spellbinding Opening Evening
The inaugural evening was a visual and artistic feast, featuring mesmerizing performances in Odissi and Bharatnatyam.
The festival opened with ‘Panchakanya,’ a group Odissi presentation by Nrutyayan’s senior dancers. The piece, based on the five immortal women of Indian Puranic lore—Ahalya, Tara, Mandodari, Draupadi, and Kunti—was a sublime blend of poetry and performance. While the first three are from the Ramayan, the rest two from the Mahabharata.
The item was presented by Nrutyayan’s 14 senior dancers. They were Smt Sasmita Mohanty, Smt Gayatri Ranbir, Smt Shatabdi Mallik, Smt Shradhanjali Raula, Sushree Meghana Mohanty, Sushree Vidisha Basumallik, Sushree Rohini Samal, Sushree Debjani Das, Sri Niladri Mohanty, Sri Gokulshree Das, Sri Sourav Mohanty, Sri Shekhar Suman Majhi, Sri Ravishankar Majhi and Sri Kunu Maharana. In this exquisite blend of poetry and performance, the beautiful portrayal of Ahalya, Tara, Mandodari, Draupadi and Kunti characters by Gayatri Ranbir, Vidisha Basumallik, Rohini Samal, Sasmita Mohanty and Shatabdi Mallik respectively left the art lovers mesmerized.
Set to Raga Raga Malika and Tala Tala Malika, the choreography by Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, music by Sukanta Kumar Kundu, rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain, and script by Late Guru Nabakishore Mishra created an immersive experience.
Next, the stage was graced by the celebrated Odissi dancing couple Guru Dr. Manoranjan Pradhan and Smt. Minati Pradhan, who presented ‘Ardhanariswar’, a timeless masterpiece choreographed by the legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Set to the evocative music compositions of Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi, this performance explored the philosophical duality of Shiva and Parvati—the masculine and feminine, destruction and creation, asceticism and beauty—all coexisting in perfect harmony.
Their precise movements, expressive storytelling, and deep emotional connect elevated the audience’s experience.
The first day concluded with a riveting Bharatanatyam solo by Dr. Mandakranta Roy, an Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar awardee, who hails from Tripura.
A “B-high‟ graded artiste of Doordarshan Kendra, New Delhi, an “A+‟ graded empanelled artiste of Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC), an empanelled artiste in the WD programme of SPIC MACAY and also awarded with Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Bharatanatyam by CCRT, Roy captivated the audience with a soul-stirring bhajan composed by Maharaja Swati Thirunal, set in Ragam Hamsanandi and Talam Adi.
The choreography by Padma Shri Leela Samson beautifully depicted the celestial scene where Lord Shiva dances in Chitrasabha, accompanied by divine musicians—Lord Brahma on the flute, Devi Saraswati on the Veena, Lord Vishnu on the Mridangam, and Goddess Parvati singing.
Roy’s stage presence, impeccable mudras, and angasudha made for an exquisite conclusion to the evening.
With such a magnificent start, the Meera Festival of Dances promises another evening of artistic brilliance, reaffirming its role in preserving and promoting India’s rich classical dance heritage.
The anchor of the evening was Dr Mrutyunjay Rath.
