By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:The 32ndGuru Kelucharan Mohapatra (GKCM) Award Festival, organised by Srjan – Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Nrityabasa in collaboration with Sri Sri University (SSU), Cuttack commenced with much grandeur on September 5 here at Rabindra Mandap. The five-day cultural extravaganza scheduled from September 5–9 at 7 pm daily features a stellar line-up of classical music, dance, and theatre performances.
This year’s edition of this premier classical event in the cultural calendar of Odisha coincides with the commemoration of the birth centenary year celebrations of revered Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. The inaugural evening witnessed a befitting opening with the celebrated Hindustani vocalistand music luminary Vid. Shubha Mudgal captivating the Bhubaneswar audience with her melodic excursion.
The programme commenced punctually at 7 pm, with the welcome address and the auspicious lighting of the lamp by the esteemed dignitaries for the evening, Pt. Anup Jalota, Veteran Singer and Eminent Music Luminary; Shri Ashok Kumar Tripathy, Former Member, Board of Revenue, Govt. of Odisha& Independent External Monitor, HAL; Shri Pankaj Lochan Mohanty, Chief Managing Director, MGM Minerals Ltd.; Prof. Tej Partap, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, SSU; Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, Director, Srjan, and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Communication and Indic Studies, SSU.
Thereafter, Vid. Shubha Mudgal began her presentation with two compositions in the beautiful and melodious Raag Bageshri. The first was a composition centred around the birth of Lord Krishna in Vilambit set to Rupak Taal. The lyrics, Mangal Gao Mai Aaj Lal Ko Janm Dyosai, Baajat Rang Badhaairang sonorous in the halls of Rabindra Mandap. She then presented a composition in Madhyalaya set to Teen Taal. A composition of her revered Guru Pt. Ramashreya Jha “Ramrang,”Khelan Mangat Chaand Kanhayi, resonated the devotional spirit of Krishna Janmashtami and the aura of the intricacies of Raag Bageshri. Widely recognised as one of India’s leading classical vocalists, she then rendered abeautiful and soulful composition in Raag Gaur Malhar, after which she explored the intricacies of the Khayal, Thumri, and Dadra, a testament to her expansive musical vocabulary.
A Padma Shri and Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award recipient, she treated the audience to a masterclass in Hindustani vocal euphony rendered with deep musical imagination and stylistic nuance. She was skilfully accompanied by the resounding cadence of Dr. Aneesh Pradhan on the Tabla, the melodic notes of Shri Sudhir Nayak on the Harmonium, and Sushree Nilima Pradhan on the Tanpura. Shri Nitin Joshi provided brilliant technical support as her Chief Sound Engineer. Immersed in the Art of Hindustani vocal music for almost five decades, she drew from her vast and expressive repertoire to providea befitting inauguration to the festival. The proceedings for the evening were conducted seamlessly by the eloquent Dr. Mrutyunjaya Rath.
Srjan awaits another evening of artistic expression on September 6 which features a Sarod recital by Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar accompanied by Shri Satyajit Talwalkar on Tabla, followed by a solo Odissi recital by Smt. Lipsa Satapathy.Designed under the vision and meticulous direction of Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, the festival is administeredflawlessly every year by Shri Debiprasad Mishra.The 32nd GKCM Award Festival 2026 is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and Department of OLLC, Government of Odisha.
