By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: The impeccably conducted 30th Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (GKCM) Award Festival 2024 organised by Srjan-Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Nrityabasa along with the able institutional support of Sri Sri University (SSU), Cuttack, hosted the entrancing Carnatic vocal recital of celebrated singer Kalaimamani Dr OS Arun and his orchestra at Rabindra Mandap, here on Saturday.
With the soulful and moving Ghazal recital by eminent singer Shri Chandan Dass on the inaugural evening, followed by the captivating presentation of Shrimant Yogi by renowned Bharatanatyam exponent Shri Vaibhav Arekar and Sankhya Dance Company, Mumbai enthralling the audiences on the first two days, respectively, the festival changed its tune to a musical extravaganza on day three.
With their trademark punctuality, Srjan commenced the proceedings for the second evening at 7 pm, with the auspicious lighting of the lamp. The esteemed guests for the evening included Dr. Rabindra Narayan Behera, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Jajpur Lok Sabha constituency; Shri Prabodh Rath, Secretary, Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi;; Guru Maheshwar Rao, Eminent Hindustani Vocalist & Composer; Guru Debendra Narayan Satapathy, Eminent Hindustani Vocalist & Composer, Senior Faculty, Performing Arts (Hindustani Vocal), SSU; Prof. (Dr.) Rabinarayan Satpathy, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, SSU; Shri Priyaranjan Das, Senior Advocate and BJP Leader and Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, Director, Srjan, and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Communication and Indic Studies, SSU.
The audiences were treated to an auditory delight by vocalist Kalaimamani Dr. OS Arun, accompanied by Dr. Badri Narayanan on the violin, Shri MS Venkatasubramanian on the Mridangam, and Shri E Martin on the Tabla, who paid their heartfelt tribute to Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra in this thirtieth-year celebration. The harmonious synergy of the musicians shone bright, as Dr. OS Arun masterfully rendered complex notes and tonal intricacies, imbuing bhakti into the soul of the music and harmoniously blending the essence of bhakti into classicism. Renowned for his mastery of musical knowledge and performance, he has been an illustrious and versatile vocalist for over four decades now, creating a unique personal style that he regaled the audiences with, during the recital. He believes in taking dance beyond mere performance and actively facilitates an intercultural synthesis of Art through the Alapana Foundation, and through his social outreach initiative Ratna Sangamam, aids underserved communities and serves the larger society.
Aided by the masterful violin play of Dr. Badrinarayanan, and the wonderfully sonorous rhythmic patterns and cadence of the dual percussion of the Mridangam of Shri MS Venkatasubramanian and Tabla by Shri ES Martin, the evening culminated in perfect harmony.
After this mellifluous evening of Carnatic music, the festival will witness the much-awaited musical fusion band led by renowned violinist Ambi Subramaniam and vocalist Bindu Subramaniam with their band SubraMania with musicians Frijo Francis, Anirudha Bhat, Prashanth Ganamuthu, and Karthik Mani. The subsequent days of the festival feature renowned musicians Pt. Rakesh Chaurasia, Shri Ojas Adhiya, and Shri Ambi and Smt. Bindu Subramaniam, Kathak exponent Guru Ashimbandhu Bhattacharjee and the Upasana Centre for Dance, and Guru Ratikant Mohapatra’s very own Srjan ensemble, in addition to the prestigious award ceremony on the final day.
Srjan, with the institutional support of Sri Sri University, Cuttack aims to foster the crucial inter-connectedness of academia and performing arts in classical realm. The entire festival is meticulously curated and designed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, with seamless programme execution by Shri Debiprasad Mishra. The light arrangement by Shri Debiprasad Mishra and Shri Dilip Kumar, with the able sound engineering of Shri C Anand Krishna, and Shri Bharath Krishna provided a visual and auditory delight of audiences, while Shri Mrutyunjaya Rath conducted the proceedings for the evening.
The 30th GKCM Award Festival has patronage from MGM Minerals Ltd. and Shalimar Chemical Works Pvt. Ltd. Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and the Department of Odia Literature Language and Culture, Government of Odisha, the gold sponsor of the festival is Odisha Mining Corporation Ltd., and its festival sponsors include Shalimar’s Coconut Oil, NALCO, SBI, IMFA, Priyadarshini Handloom, Paradeep Phosphates Limited, and Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. The Royale Midtown Hotel is its hospitality partner. Dharitri and Orissa Post, and Narthaki.com are the media partners and web partner respectively.
