Bhubaneswar After two years of successfully hosting the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (GKCM) Award Festival on digital platforms, Srjan-Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Nrityabasa this year is back to the stage, reverting to its celebrated tradition of hosting the 28th OMC GKCM Award Festival at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar.
The Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award 2022 will be presented to Guru Niranjan Rout and Guru Ramhari Das for their invaluable contribution and lifetime achievement in the fields of Odissi dance and music respectively.
The Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Prativa Sunman will be presented to Smt Geetanjali Acharya for Odissi dance and to Shri Matruprasad Das for Odissi music, acknowledging their dedication to their art form and in recognition of their inspiring performances.
The aim of instituting and presenting the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award, which carries a respectable allocation of Rs. 1,00,000/- and a citation, is to confer recognition upon individuals for their outstanding contribution to the fields of Dance, Music, Cinema, and Theatre. Over 27 years, Srjan has presented in such awards to luminaries from these fields.
Additionally, the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Prativa Samman, with a cash prize of Rs. 25.000/- and a citation is presented to exceptionally talented performing artistes under the age of 40 years in the field of classical dance and Odissi music to acknowledge their outstanding performances.
Srjan has dedicated this year’s festival In memory of the late maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj Ji, the legendary doyen of Kathak and fountain of inspiration in the world of classical Arts, revered by artists across the world and across generations.
The Award Festival, organised with the aim of creating and sustaining awareness of Odisha’s classical traditions in dance and music, will be held from 5th September to 9th September at Rabindra Mandap at 7 pm each day.
This year, the programme includes a diverse confluence of music and dance performances. The inaugural evening will feature a Hindustani Jugalbandi by Pandit Ronu Majumdar (Mute) and Ustad Taufiq Qureshi (Djembe), and the following evenings will witness an Odissi vocal recital by Sushree Sristi Swarupa Mishra, a night of musical fusion by Bhubaneswar’s very own Shivagni Ensemble, and a Carnatic vocal recital by Shri Sikkil Gurucharan. Among the dance presentations are those by Bharatanatyam exponent Vidushi Gaeta Chandran and her ensernIde the Natya Vriksha Dance Collective and Kathak by Vidushi Paramita Main and Nrityangan Kathak Kendra.
The concluding evening will feature the prestigious award ceremony followed by the much-awaited finale by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra and the Srjan ensemble. They will present the Odissi dance ballet, Ravan. Defying the popular notion of Ravana, this Odissi production presents a novel understanding of the epic Ramayana. Portraying Ravana as the raison d’etre of the Ramayana, the recital begins with an invocation to Dashanana, a departure from the customary invocation to gods and goddesses. Ravana, the -Mahanayaka,” who strove to attain moksha through strife, struggle, and warfare, is the all-powerful king who displayed rare courage, integrity, and perseverance, in spite of a variety of negative and evil traits.
The entire festival is curated, conceptualized, and designed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, with the programme execution by Shri Debiprasad Mishra. Odisha Mining Corporation Limited (OMC) is the title sponsor of the festival, while Odisha Tourism, Government of Odisha and MGM Minerals are the gold sponsor. The festival is supported by Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and Dept. of Odia Literature Language and Culture, Govt of Odisha. The festival sponsors include NALCO, IMFA, PPL and Priyadarshini. The hospitality sponsors are Mayfair Hotels and Resorts, Swosti Group and the Royal Midtown lintel, media partners are Dharitri and Orissa Post, and web partner is Narthaki.com.
