Srjan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra festival upholds artistic tradition

The Srjan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award festival celebrated its 31st year in 1925. Ever since its inception, it has seen top ranking artists of the country invited to perform in this venue. Almost all the greats have displayed their art at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar.

- TAPATI CHOWDHURIE

This year too Director of Srjan Guru Ratikant Mohapatra provided the platform to talented artists.

For many artists, this festival has been a stepping stone to success.

The inaugural evening saw the launching of Guru Ratikant Mohapatra's new choreographic marvel, Satyakam Javala, performed by Sujata Mohapatra and Preetisha Mohapatra. Together, they represented a magnificent mother-daughter duo taking forward the rich legacy of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. It was amazing to see a story from the ancient text of the Chandogya Upanishad resonate with contemporary times.

Javala was a courtesan by profession and did not know who the father of her son was. Guided by truth and honesty, Rishi Gautam accepted Satyakam in his gurukul. The language of Odissi dance expressed the word story aesthetically and beautifully, translating the alankaras ditto in dance vocabulary. The narrative upheld the true values of honesty and truth.

Light-designers Debiprasad Misra and D. Dilip Kumar enhanced the beauty of the piece.

The music composition of Lakshmikant Palit, with the rhythm composition and choreography of Ratikant Mohapatra, did justice to Pt. Nityananda Misra's script.

Bimbavati Devi and her troupe of Manipuri Nartanalaya presented Devatmayee-The Soul of the Gods on the first day. Bimbavati Devi, a versatile Manipuri exponent, proficient in Pung playing and Thang Ta, Manipur's traditional martial art form, is currently engaged in experimental choreographic works that explore various facets of Manipuri dance.

Bimbavati Devi's Devatmayee was a contemporary approach towards a renewal of interest and research in tradition. Bimbavati delved deep to gather details on the mystifying subject.

Devatmayee researched on the ancient Manipuri concept of Mother Goddess and contrasted and compared it with the mythological Vedic interpretation of the god mother.