Bhubaneswar: The 16th edition of Nrutya Manjari Mahotsav, hosted by Sai Kala Sansad, was held at Bhanjakala Mandap, Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday.
The festival kicked off with an auspicious note with the ceremonial lighting the lamp by dignitaries including former Minister Ashok Chandra Panda, MLA of Bhubaneswar Central Ananta Narayan Jena, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor Sulochana Das and former vice chairman, Odisha Agriculture Industry Corporation, Dr Santosh Bej.
The stage soon turned into a picture of celebration as ‘Kala Samman’ awards were presented. Padma Shri recipients vocalist Shyamamani Devi and ‘Ghoda Nacha’ (Horse Dance) maestro Utsab Charan Das were honoured with ‘Kala Samman Award’ for their lifelong dedication to their respective art forms. Also gracing the honours list were anchor and Odissi dance researcher Dr Srinivas Ghatuary, Kathak dancer Guru Tapas Debnath from Kolkata, and singer Bijayalaxmi Das.
The evening began with Mangalacharan, an invocatory piece in Odissi repertory, ‘Namami Bighnaraj’ performed by Sai Kala Sansad artistes Lopamudra Sahu, Sushree Shradhanjali Sahoo, Aanubhi Mishra, Kajal Nayak, Shrutisudha Mal and Jyotirmayee Sahoo. Here, the artistes offered prayers to Lord Ganesh, seeking His blessings. Choreographed by legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and music composed by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra, the presentation set the tone for a soulful evening ahead.
This was followed by ‘Ganga Taranga’, choreographed by Guru Debaprasad Das and showcased by a lively group of artistes including Saiswarupa Muduli, Tamanna Pattanayak, Saishradha Behera, Swastijyoti Jena, Krishna S Das, Priyanka Priyadarshini Sahoo, Nabanwita Shradhanjali and Bratilagna Mohanty.
The following item was Kalabati Pallavi, another gen from Guru Debaprasad Das’s repertoire, and performed by Chetana Mohanty, Priyanshi Behera, Sushree Sangeeta Behera, Akanksha Priyadarshini, Tanisha Das and Rishima Das. The fourth item of the evening was Nabarasa, choreographed by Guru Debaprasad Das, brought to life the nuances of human emotions through expressive abhinaya by artistes Geetanjali Tripathy, Smrutirekha Das, Punam Sahoo, Adyasha Parida, Hansika Nayak, Pratiksha Mohanty, Bibhuti Bhushan Dash and Mousumi Patra.
The stage then came alive with the spirited ‘Ghoda Nacha’, led by Padma Shri recipient Utsab Charan Das and his troupe-Tilattoma Mohanty, Gopinath Behera, Ashutosh Dalei and Tipuna Muduli. The accompanists who lent them a good support were Purna Nanda Samal (Jodi Mahuri), Sunil Kumar Bhoi (Dhol) and Prahallad Samal (Jodi Nagara). The dramatic exchange between Chadheia (Guru Utsab Charan Das) and Chadheiani (Tilattoma Mohanty) left the art lovers spellbound.
The mood mellowed with Mahari dance ‘Dekhogo Ago Sakhi Dekhago’, performed gracefully by artistes Kshamarupa Mishra, Chinmayee Baisakh, Jayashree Nayak, Pratyasha Mohapatra and Jagruti Rout, leaving the audience glued to their seats.
Eminent Kathak dancer Tapas Debnath and his troupe took the stage next, presenting a bouquet of compositions including ‘Shiv Vandana’, ‘Pure dance’, ‘Composition of Rain’, the thumri ‘Lapak Jhapak’, a choreography by Pandit Birju Maharaj and ‘Sakal Bana’, a performance based on 13th century Sufi poet Amir Khusro’s verses. Tapas’s troupe-Ankana Aich, Mahua Das, Bidisha Sain, Prabrisha Das, Anushka Ghosh, Pratiti Bhadra and Aditi Bhadra-enchanted the audience with their fluid movements, immaculate footwork, and effortless spins.
Guru Tapas Debnath runs a dedicated Kathak institution ‘Bandana Kunj Performing Arts Center’ in Kolkata. It was established 30 years ago.
All the Odissi dance items were directed by Puspanjali Nayak, the founder-cum-secretary of Sai Kala Sansad. The artistes’ facial expressions, poised postures and smooth spatial transitions won the hearts of the art lovers.
Since its inception in 2010, ‘Sai Kala Sansad’, a unit of Odissi Dance, Music and Art, has been nurturing young talent and providing platforms to promising talents. Over the years, its artistes have performed at several festivals in and outside the state and won awards.
While festival director Prakash Kumar Nayak ensured the event ran like clockwork, the effortless anchoring by Dr Srinibas Ghatuary added colour and coherence to the evening’s proceedings. The festival was an entertaining one, indeed.
