Her Devotional Connect

With precise hand gestures that strike just the right angles, Odissi virtuoso Madhulita Mohapatra enters the stage with an unmissable expression of joy.

- By SAMIYA CHOPRA

Adorned in an ice blue sari, her body movements feel like those of a medieval temple sculpture come to life. Featuring three compositions, her recent recital, Bhava and Bhakti, began with a pallavi in devotion of Lord Jagannath, followed by an abhinaya piece from Geeta Govinda, and finally, a composition on Lord Vishnu. “For me, productions never end but keep evolving like one’s understanding of the divine. Here, it is less about the story and more about reflection, surrender, and devotion,” says the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar awardee, who was joined by her senior disciples Sahana R Maiya and Paridhi Joshi on stage.