Bhubaneswar: A go-to theatre music director, Pratap Chandra Rout has recently hit a milestone that many can only dream of-composing music for 1000 plays.
For Rout, it’s nothing short of a divine blessing and a journey carved by sheer dedication, determination, passion, and the grace of Lord Jagannath.
When asked how his tryst with music began, Rout says it was quite natural as his father was a Tabla guru who was known in opera circuit as Khoka Mastre (Sir). “My father was my first guru,” he admits.
Regarding how he got the first play, he says, “It all happened by the grace of Almighty back in 1992. I was a student of Tabla department of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalay. During that time, a workshop on theatre music was organized under the guidance of Surya Sir (Surya Mohanty of Mukti Theatre). Pandit BV Karant, fondly called Baba, was the mentor. I was the youngest at the workshop. Besides learning a lot about the music required in contemporary theatre, the big thing that I learnt from him was how to produce music from nonmusical instruments and how to use them in plays. And that changed everything for me,” recalls Rout.
“That same year, destiny played its tune again. The drama department of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalay was preparing to stage a play titled ‘Aadya Adhuna Bhabitabya’. Nabin Sir (Nabin Kumar Parida) was its director. My colleagues of drama department like Alok Swain and Debananda Sony forced me to compose music for the play, asking me to show what I learnt from Pandit BV Karant,” he adds.
“I accepted their proposal. Initially I was a bit nervous. However, it turned out to be well. My music was appreciated and the response was overwhelming. The first applause still rings in my ears. My second play was based on a story of renowned writer Manoj Das. Its director Alok Swain offered me the opportunity. The play turned out to be a showstopper, bagging first place in the state level Youth Festival and making ripples,” he adds.
Then came a golden opportunity on his way. That was to assist Pandit BV Karant. “Once, I had an opportunity to assist Pandit BV Karant, fondly called baba, who was in Odisha to score background music for film ‘Sunya Swarupa’. After the completion of the assignment, Baba asked me if I was interested to go with him to Delhi,” he says.
He felt like he had hit gold. During his stay in Delhi, Pandit BV Karant recommended his name to score music for two plays of NSD workshop. The plays were ‘Mriga Trishna’, directed by NSDian Satya Rout and ‘Platform Number 11’ directed by NSD professor Robin Kumar Das. Those experiences opened new doors for him. He had the opportunity to participate in NSD workshops and worked with some top theatre directors of India and abroad which went a long way in improving his skills and making him a music director for stage productions.
Yet, he wanted to give back to Odisha theatre scene. Returning home, he became the first choice of theatre directors, known for weaving emotion, rhythm and storytelling seamlessly through his compositions. Over three decades, Rout has worked with almost all the topmost theater directors, bringing alive the words of playwrights like Shakespeare, Sapolakes, Muraliar, Mohan Rakesh, Bijay Tendulkar, Bijay Pandit, Girish Karnad, Dr Bijay Mishra, Manoj Das, Pramod Tripathy, Manoranjan Das, Ramchandra Behera, Shankar Tripathy and Bhabagrahi Dash.
The crescendo for his journey recently came with his 1000th play titled ‘Mangala Dosha’, staged at Uttarayani Club Auditorium, Jatni, on the occasion of Uttarayani Club’s 97th Annual Function on October 1, 2025. The play was written and directed by Biplab Keshari Satpathy. It was a moment of immense pride for Odisha’s theatre fraternity.
Rout has also worn the writer’s hat. He has written two plays-‘Dharmashoka’ and ‘Duryaodhana’ and adapted literary gems like Godabarisha Mishra’s short story ‘Sebatira Saba’, Sachi Routray’s ‘Matira Taj’ and Pratibha Ray’s ‘Abyakta’ for stage.
He is also in demand to play for Indian classical music and folk music. When he is not scoring music for plays, he can either be found nurturing young talents as a Tabla teacher at St. Xavier’s High School or performing in classical or folk music concerts.
As he basks in the afterglow of his 1,000th performance, Rout remains as humble as ever. “Whatever I’ve achieved is by the grace of the Almighty and the blessings of my gurus,” he says with folded hands.
Over the years, Rout’s has received many awards and accolades at several prestigious festivals with his trophy cabinet brimming with ‘Yuva Prativa Sahoo Samman’, ‘Panchanveda Samman’, ‘Best Music Director Award’ at 16th State Odia Theatre Competition held in Rourkela, ‘Utkali Sanskrutika Shilpi Award’, ‘Satabdira Kalakar Award’ ‘Best Music Director Award’ at Panchapattamali Natya Mahotsav in Damanjodi and ‘Bijay Mishra Award’, ‘Odisha Prativa Samman’.
Music runs in Rout’s family, which comprises three members-his wife, his daughter and he. While his wife is a gifted singer with a melodious voice, his daughter Saiprarthana Rout holds an M.Com degree and has completed her Visharad in Odissi dance from Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal. It is worth mentioning that his father-in-law Guru Dibakar Mohanty is a renowned vocalist, proving that music truly flows in their veins.
Kalasanskruti congratulates Pratap Chandra Rout on his achievement and prays for many more curtain calls and standing ovations for him in the years ahead.
