Bhubaneswar: The Utkal Rangamanch auditorium on the premises of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Center came alive on Thursday as the 24th edition of four-day Ekamra Nrutya Mahotsav 2026, organised by Suravi, one of the country’s premier Odissi dance institutions founded by Guru Dr. Pitambar Biswal in 2003, got off to a fine start.
The evening was graced by eminent theatre personality and former secretary of Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy Shri Prabodh Rath, distinguished Odissi exponent Smt Pranati Mohanty, Odissi dancer Guru Dr Gajendra Panda, Mardala exponent Guru Niranjan Patra and renowned Tabala player Kulamani Sahoo who inaugurated the evening by lighting the auspicious lamp.
In his address, Shri Rath expressed heartfelt wishes for Suravi, hoping the institution would scale new heights and continue to nurture budding talent.
The curtain rose with a riveting solo Tabla recital by Shri Dipayan Das from Kolkata. A disciple of Shri Soumen Sarkar, Dipayan demonstrated his prowess through ‘peshkar’, ‘rela’, ‘kayda’ in ‘teen taal’ and an around 400-year-old composition ‘Lahori Gat’.
Accompanied by Muralidhar Swain on harmonium, the performance set the tone and left the audience asking for more.
The next performer of the evening was Shayomita Dasgupta, from Kolkata. Having trained under Guru Smt Garima Hazarika, Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Guru Ratikant Mohapatra and Guru Smt Sujata Mohapatra, she brought both grace and grit to her performances.
She commenced her recital with an evocative Jagannath Vandana, and followed it up with a Pallavi, a pure dance item in the Odissi repertoire, based on Raga Patadip and Tala Jati, choreographed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra and music composed by Guru Pradeep Kumar Das. Her presentation was marked by fluid body movements and amazing precision and elegance.
She went onto present an abhinaya ‘Braja Ku Chora’, one of the classic choreographies of legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, music composed by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra. Set to Raga Ananda Bhairavi and Tala Jati, in this item she seamlessly slipping into the roles of Yashoda and Krishna narrated how mother Yoshada cajoling and even terrorising little Krishna to go to sleep or else the thief who has come to Braja will take him away.
Her portrayal was so lifelike that it felt as though the characters had leapt off the stage—leaving the audience utterly captivated.
Supported by a talented ensemble of musicians-Rupak Kumar Parida on Vocal, Ekalabya Muduli on the Mardala, Srinibas Satapathy on the Flute, Agnimitra Behera on the Violin and Muralidhar Swain on the Manjira- her performance was nothing short of a visual treat.
Now, she is running her own institution ‘Sangati-A Home for Odissi’ since 2010 and organises two festivals ‘Samahara’ and ‘Swayamdhwani’ every year.
The concluding item of the evening was another solo Odissi recital. It was presented by Rosalini Mohapatra, from Bhubaneswar, a graded artiste of Doordarshan and an empaneled artiste of SPIC MACAY and EZCC.
A seasoned performer and a familiar face on prestigious platforms, she presented ‘Yahi Madhava’ from 12th century saint poet Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda.Through subtle expressions and measured gestures, she beautifully captured Radha’s emotional turmoil, walking a fine line between restraint and intensity.
Her performance struck an emotional chord, leaving the art lovers glued to their seats till the very end.The item was originally choreographed by Odissi doyen Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, music composed by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra and direction by Padma Shri Guru Aruna Mohanty.
An ensemble of accomplished musicians Guru Bijaya Kumar Barik (Mardala), Janhabi Behera (Manjira), Harapriya Swain (Vocal), Suramani Guru Pandit Ramesh Chandra Das (Violin) and Soumya Ranjan Joshi (Flute) lent her a good support.
With a packed audience comprising gurus, connoisseurs, and art lovers, the inaugural evening proved to be a resounding success—setting the stage for an unforgettable festival ahead.
Dr Mrutyunjay Rath’s seamless anchoring added flair to the evening.
