Commemorating 2026 as the birth centenary year of revered Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra while celebrating 32 resplendent years in the pursuit of artistic excellence, the five-day cultural landmark, the 32nd Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival 2026, organised by Srjan – Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Nrityabasa, Bhubaneswar in collaboration with Sri Sri University, Cuttack, culminated with the coveted Award Presentation Ceremony followed by the grand finale by the Srjan Ensemble under the artistic direction and vision of Guru Ratikant Mohapatra.
As on previous days, the proceedings of the evening began punctually at 7 pm with the auspicious lighting of the lamp in the presence of esteemed guests and dignitaries. Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, Director, Srjan, and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Communication and Indic Studies, Sri Sri University, delivered the Director’s address and welcomed all the guests and audience. Thereafter, the Award Presentation Ceremony commenced with the distinguished guests honouring the recipients with their awards.
This year, the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award 2026 was presented to four iconic stalwarts across classical dance, music, theatre, and cinema for their lifetime achievements and immense contributions. The award, carrying a sum of Rs. 1,00,000/- and a citation, was conferred upon Guru Sharon Lowen for Dance, Guru Keshab Chandra Rout for Music, Shri Dhirendranath Mallick for Theatre, and Smt. Mahasweta Ray for Cinema. Each of the awardees shared their reflection speeches upon receiving the honours, a memorable experience for the audience, who cherish the works of these stalwarts.
In its second year of institution, the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Kala Samman 2026 – instituted by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra in 2025 to recognise established performing artistes between 40–55 years of age with a sum of Rs. 50,000/- and a citation was conferred upon Shri Agnimitra Behera for Instrumental (Violin) and Dr. Nazia Alam for Music (Vocal).
Recognizing four performing artistes under 40 years of age, the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Pratibha Samman 2026, carrying a cash award of Rs. 25,000/- and a citation, was bestowed upon Sushree Vrinda Chadha (Odissi Dance), Sushree Aishwariya Singhdev (Odissi Dance), Dr. Nikita Banawalikar (Kathak), and Shri Soumya Ranjan Nayak (Odissi Music – Mardala).
Following the award presentations, speeches were delivered by the distinguished guests of the evening, Mr. Babu Singh, Hon’ble MLA, Bhubaneswar and Mr. K. V. Singhdeo, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Odisha, who praised the festival’s legacy and Srjan’s contributions to preserving India and Odisha’s rich traditions and cultural heritage.
The Srjan ensemble unveiled Guru Ratikant Mohapatra’s innovative choreographic production, Maati, inspired by the iconic Odia poet Shri Radha Mohan Gadanayak’s work with script adaptation by the late Shri Jayadev Das. The production featured music composed by Guru Lakshmikant Palit and the musical arrangement of the late Shri Tarakant Panda. Maati was irradiated by the brilliant and creative light designing and operation of Shri Debiprasad Mishra and Shri D. Dhilip Kumar.
Maati celebrates the eternal triumph and resilience of Mother Earth, the Cradle of Life. Set against the cosmic clamour of ethereal elements – the sky, sun, moon, clouds, and wind—seeking supremacy, Mother Earth humbly acquiesces to divine will, accepting all burdens with grace and forbearance. Designed within the traditional Odissi choreographic idiom while incorporating novel visual embellishments, the dancers engaged the audience through agile movements, nuanced expressions, and seamless group synergy all in tandem to the haunting and harmonious musical track composed for this. The dance ensemble comprised Smt. Rajashri Praharaj, Aishwariya Singhdev, Preetisha Mohapatra, Madhabi Rout, Daina Ghose, Pallishree Priyadarshini, G. Sanjay, and Rajkumar Kar. Guru Ratikant Mohapatra’s sinuous and powerful choreography, interwoven with beautiful postural imagery was elevated to new heights by the creative use of the LED screen in the backdrop, as well as innovative light design bringing out his ideation to create a brilliant sensory experience for the audience.
They received a standing ovation for their outstanding performance. The festival concluded with the felicitation of the production’s music director, the festival’s technical crew, guest critic Smt. Tapati Chowdhurie, and programme execution in-charge Shri Debiprasad Mishra. The Rabindra Mandap staff were also felicitated for their unwavering backstage support throughout the five days.
The entire festival was designed and administered by Festival Director Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, with compering by Dr. Mrutyunjaya Rath and creative content curated by Maya Krishnamurty. Programme execution and publicity were managed by Debiprasad Mishra. Audio engineering was headed by Chief Sound Engineer C. Anand Krishna, alongside Bharath Krishna, who also handled graphic design. Creative light design and operation were executed by Debiprasad Mishra and D. Dhilip Kumar.
The 32nd GKCM Award Festival 2026 is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and Department of OLLC, Government of Odisha, and has received ample donations from MGM Minerals Ltd. and Shalimar Chemical Works Pvt. Ltd under their CSR initiatives. OMC Ltd. and Odisha Tourism are the Gold Sponsors, while SAIL and HAL are the Silver Sponsors. Festival Sponsors include NALCO, MCL, IMFA, and Priyadarshini Handloom.
