Srjan Odissi Nrityabasa in collaboration with Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre celebrated the 96th Birth Anniversary of the doyen of Odissi dance, guru Kelucharan Mohapatra with an evening of music and dance at the Utkal Ranga Mancha, Bhubaneswar. The programme was inaugurated by eminent Odissi dancer and President of Odisha Sangita Natak Akademi, guru Aruna Mohanty, Sangita Gosain, Former Chief Executive, GKCM Odissi Research Centre, guru Dhaneswar Swain, eminent Mardal player and guru Ratikant Mohapatra, Director, Srjan, the legendary guru’s own institution.
The evening commenced with one of Ratikant’s most popular compositions, Bho Shambho–a prayer to Lord Siva penned by Swami Dayanand Saraswati, which explores the multifarious facets of the Lord through improvised expansive movements all within the traditional Odissi format. With an unerring grip on rhythm and undiluted grammar of the choreography, three well-trained dancers negotiated the relatively fast-paced number in ragam Revati portraying the striking diversity of Siva’s attributes with nuanced detail with appealing movements in the reverberating spiritual vein as trained by their guru, Ratikant.
The next number Meepapremiered and dedicated to guru Kelucharan Mohapatra as a mark of respect on his 96th birth anniversary needs a special mention. Well-crafted with a unique blend of music composed by Agnimitra Behera, especially the delicate strokes of the piano at the beginning and soul-stirring flute-violin combination. The rhythm and the strength of movements of the choreography of Ratikant, with the sharpness and precision of the dancers combined with the fantastic light design of Devi Prasad Mishra elevated the performance.
Nita Vidyarthi
Photos courtesy: Srjan.