Bhubaneswar: Anyone who has watched Aniket Pallav Nayak perform Odissi dance on stage would agree that he is one of the brightest torchbearers of Odissi today and that there is little doubt that the classical dance form is in safe and capable hands.
He was just five years old when he was initiated into Odissi dance and his first guru was Guru Somanatha Pradhan. Over the years, he honed his craft under the guidance of Guru Niranjan Rout and Prof. Naba Kishore Mishra before continuing his advanced training with Guru Pravata Kumar Swain.
Determined to pass on the legacy of Odissi to the next generation, he founded his own institution, ‘Nrutyansh’ in 2024, where young dancers are nurtured and encouraged to embrace the timeless beauty of the classical art form.He didn’t stop there.
A holder of B.Tech in Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering from SIET, Dhenkanal, a Bachelor in Performing Arts (BPA) from Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, Bhubaneswar, and a Sangeet Bhaskar degree in Odissi Dance from Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh, Aniket launched a festival ‘Nrutyanubhaba’ from this year to provide young and budding talents with a platform to showcase their talent, dedication and creativity.
The maiden edition of ‘Nrutyanubhaba’ was spread over two days -June 8 and 9. While the first evening featured five young guest artistes alongside Aniket himself, the second evening witnessed performances presented by the students of ‘Nrutyansh’.
The inaugural evening was graced by Padma Shri Guru Aruna Mohanty, Guru Niranjan Rout and Guru Pravata Kumar Swain, who inaugurated the festival by lighting the auspicious lamp. They were joined on the stage by Aniket’s parents Padmanava Nayak and Rashmirekha Nayak, one of the well-wishers Champaklata Sharaf, Manish Sahoo and Aniket himself, Nrutyansh’s treasurer and director respectively.
The guests heaped praise on Aniket and ‘Nrutyansh’ and expressed hope that both ‘Nrutyansh’ and ‘Nrutyanubhaba’ would grow from a sapling into a mighty tree with many flourishing branches.
The cultural segment commenced with a solo performance by Aniket. He opened his recital with a ‘Pallavi’, a pure dance in the Odissi dance repertory, set to Raga Ashabari and Tala Ektali. Choreographed by Guru Pravata Kumar Swain, music composed by Guru Sukant Kumar Kundu and rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain, the piece showcased Aniket delivering it with full artistic brilliance.
He followed it with an abhinaya ‘Kuru Yadu Nandan’, one of the most celebrated Ashtapadis from poet Jayadeva’s immortal Geeta Govinda. Choreographed by Guru Aruna Mohanty, music composed by Dr Subash Pani, rhythm composed by Guru Dhaneswar Swain, the abhinaya portrayed Radha basking in the bliss of her union with Krishna. Through nuanced expressions and refined gestures, Aniket vividly depicted Radha’s tender requests to Krishna—to adorn her with musk designs, restore the kajal smudged by his kisses, arrange flowers in her dishevelled hair and embellish her with ornaments and beautiful garments.
In both items, his command over movement, expression and space management earned him generous applause.
The rewarding point for Aniket was that his guru Guru Pravata Kumar Swain and his guru’s guru Guru Aruna Mohanty were in the audience and he rose magnificently to the occasion.
The evening gathered further momentum with a performance by Shreepunya Mohanty, a disciple of Guru Aruna Mohanty.
She began her recital with a ‘Jagannatha Sahasranama’, a ‘Mangalacharan’ based on the text by poet Kedar Mishra and Dr Srinibas Ghatuaray, music composed by Agnimitra Behera, rhythm composed by Guru Dhaneswar Swain and choreographed by Guru Aruna Mohanty. She followed it up with an abhinaya ‘Kahibaku Laja’, set to Raga Khamaj, Tala Ada Tali, with music composed by Guru Ghanashyam Panda & Suramani Ramesh Chandra Das, original musical arrangement Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, music re-arrangement Guru Bijay Kumar Barik and choreographed by Guru Aruna Mohanty.
In both presentations, Shreepunya displayed technical finesse and artistic maturity, making each moment a visual delight for the art lovers and common audience.
The audience was then treated to a captivating duet Odissi recital by Suchismita Sahoo and Tanuj Panda, both are disciples of Guru Aruna Mohanty.
They started their performance with ‘Bakulabarana Pallavi’, choreographed by Guru Pravata Kumar Swain, music composed by Guru Sukanta Kumar Kundu and rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain, followed by an abhinaya “Barsa Avisara’, music composed by Guru Ramhari Das, rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain, choreographed by Guru Aruna Mohanty and direction by Guru Pravata Kumar Swain.
Their sculptural poses in the Pallavi drew admiration, while the abhinaya beautifully captured nature’s transformation with the arrival of the monsoon—the earth regaining its freshness, trees bursting into lush greenery, birds and animals finding relief, and peacocks dancing in celebration. They left the art lovers captivated in both items.
The evening’s last performers were Rohini Samal and Sourav Mohanty, disciples of Padma Shri Durga Charan Ranbir.
They presented “Shivaardhana Stotram”, based on the revered “Ardhanarishwara Stotram”, exploring the profound philosophy of ‘Ardhanariswara’—the inseparable union of Shiva and Shakti. Set to Raga Gurjjari Todi and Tala Tripata, with choreography by Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, music by Guru Nirmala Kumar Mohapatra and rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain, the piece eloquently conveyed the cosmic harmony between the masculine and feminine principles.
It was a fitting finale to an inspiring evening.
The second and concluding evening was no less engaging.
The evening witnessed the presence of distinguished guests such as executive director of Sushruta Hospital and Trauma Care and president of Utkal Kalakar Mahasangha Dr Smt Chidamikaa Khatua, teacher and writer Sushant Kumar Samal, poet and writer Prahallad Sahoo and founder and director of Nrutya Naivedya Guru Pravata Kumar Swain who lit the ceremonial lamp.
More than 40 junior and senior students of ‘Nrutyansh’ took to stage, presenting a vibrant repertoire that included ‘Mangalacharan’, ‘Sriram Stutee’, ‘Sthayi’, ‘Brundabane Ke Banshi Bajaila’, ‘Palli Nrutya’ and a lively ‘Sambalpuri’ folk dance.
Their spirited performances brought the festival to a memorable close, ensuring that the inaugural edition of ‘Nrutyanubhaba’ ended on a triumphant note.
With its successful debut, ‘Nrutyanubhaba’ has announced its arrival on Odisha’s cultural landscape. If the enthusiasm of the artistes and the response of the audience are anything to go by, this promising initiative is poised to become a significant platform for nurturing the next generation of Odissi dancers.
Aniket’s achievements as a performer are equally noteworthy. Besides being a B-High grade artiste of Doordarshan, Bhubaneswar, he is a Junior Scholarship holder, CCRT, Ministry of Culture, Government of India (2004), a senior Scholarship holder, Ministry of Culture, Government of India (2013), a recipient of Governor’s Trophy (2008), a recipient of State Youth Award, Government of Odisha (2009–10), a recipient of Chief Minister’s Trophy (2015) and several other honours.
