Bhubaneswar: The first edition of ‘Saptaranga’, a mesmerizing cultural spectacle, held at Utkal Rangamanch on the premises of Guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre on Sunday, showcasing the rich heritage of Indian art forms.
The program was graced by Padmashree Shyamanmani Devi, renowned Odissi vocal exponent, along with celebrated classical singer Ms. Sangeeta Gosain, who inaugurated the evening by lighting the auspicious lamp.
A brainchild of Ms. Seema Patnaik and Prof. Sucheta Priyabadini and a union of like minded professionals, Saptarang’s objective is to propagate classical music among the masses, ensuring its preservation and promotion. The initiative provided a platform for passionate amateur classical artistes from different professions to showcase their talents, collaborate, and share their passion with a wider audience.
The cultural evening started with a soulful Sitar recital by Ms. Seema Patnaik and Prof. Sucheta Priyabadini, who were ably supported by Jeevan Prakash Das, Laxmipriya Behera and Bansita Sahoo and the accompanists were Basudev Swain on the Tabla and Pritiranjan Swain on the Flute.
Ms Patnaik and Prof Priyabadini commenced their recital with Raga Saraswati and Tala Jhaptaal. They went on to present Raga Yaman on Teentaal and a dhun on Raga Zilakafi on Tala Dadra. They concluded their presentation with some popular Hindi film songs including ‘Baharon phul barsao’, ‘Ajeeb dastan hai ye’, ‘Jab deep jale aana’.
The next performer of the evening was Smt Anuja Tarini Mishra who presented ‘Nindati chandana’ from Gita Govinda, based on Raga Mishrakafi and Tala Ektali a Natyangi ‘Saja nayana kunje’ on Raga Kirabani and Tala Khemata.
Next, Smt Meetarani Biswal and Dr Sasmita Sahoo came onto the stage to present ‘Rase Hari’ from Gita Govinda and ‘Nanda suta ku’, a Natyangi, respectively.
The fourth item of the evening was a scintillating Odissi performance by Dr. Barsha Baishali Parida, who presented Shankarabharana Pallavi based on Raga Shankarabharana and Tala Ektali, choreographed by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and music composed by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra. She sculpted her moves carefully and captivated the audience with her neat presentation.
The following item was a group Mohiniyattam presentation by Priyanka Vijayraj, Seema C Nair, Gopika Lekshmanan and Iswarya Rani R. They presented ‘Cholketu’, based on Ragam Ragamalika and Talam Talamalika and ‘Thillana’ based on Ragam Basantha Behar and Talam Adi.
The concluding item of the evening was a solo Bharatnatyam recital presented by Akanksha Vijayraj who presented Ganesha ‘Pancharatnam’ and ‘Krishna Sthuthi’.The precision and dynamism exhibited in their presentations were seen to be believed.
