By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:The 32nd Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (GKCM) Award Festival, organised by Srjan – Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Nrityabasa in collaboration with Sri Sri University (SSU), Cuttack continued its magnificent cultural journey at Rabindra Mandap on its second evening. The inaugural evening of this five-day festival from September 5–9 witnessed a captivating performance by veteran Hindustani vocalist Vidushi Shubha Mudgal.
The proceedings of the second evening began punctually at 7 pm with the welcome address and the traditional lighting of the lamp by the esteemed dignitaries for the evening, Guru Ramhari Das, Renowned Odissi Vocalist and Scholar; Smt. Poly Pattnaik, Founder, Mother’s Public School, Bhubaneswar; Prof. (Dr.) Rabi Narayan Satapathy, Vice-Chancellor, Jagadguru Kripalu University, Cuttack; Shri Parthasarathi “Baboo” Panigrahi, Eminent Classical and Light-Music Vocalistalong with Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, Director, Srjan, and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Communication and Indic Studies, SSU.
The musical segment of the evening featured an illustrious bearer of the Senia Maihar Gharana, Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, who interweaves Dhrupad, Tantrakari, and Gayaki into his music. He began his recital with the serene evening melody, Raag Shuddha Kalyan, that typically performed during the first prahar, between 6 and 9 pm. This peaceful, devotional, and deeply contemplative Raga evoked a tranquil inner stillness as dusk fell across the Bhubaneswar skies.
His second presentation was a composition in Raag Jaijaiwanti, invoking and celebrating the season of monsoon through its deep, flowing notes, along with emotional depth.
Conferred with the Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Sarod maestro engaged the audience with his meditative and architecturally precise performance, ably accompanied by the vibrant rhythmic support of Shri Satyajit Talwalkar on the Tabla.The powerful yet meditative sound of his Sarod play was complemented in perfect synergy with the cadence of the Tabla’s rhythmic notes as Shri Satyajit Talwalkar also captivated the audience with his flawless technical precision, dynamic energy, and profound musicality.
The second half of the evening shifted to Odissi dance, showcasing the artistry, vitality, and elegance of acclaimed Odissi dancer Smt. Lipsa Satapathy. Her performance opened with Pancha Bhuta, a grand and evocative production that beautifully depicts the five cosmic elements —Earth (Prithvi), Water (Jal), Fire (Agni), Air (Vayu), and Sky (Akash)— through sinuous dance movements and yogic postures. Set to Raga Malika and Tala Malika, this item is a choreography of Guru Aruna Mohanty composed to music by Guru Ramahari Das and Shri Sumanta Kumar Mohanty and set to the rhythm composition of Guru Dhaneswar Swain.
She then proceeded to perform Debagandhari Pallavi, a pure dance piece with intricate footwork, rhythmic speed, and graceful body movements, choreographed by Guru Bichitrananda Swain and set to the music composition of Guru Ramhari Das and rhythm composition of Guru Dhaneswar Swain.
The presentation concluded with Kahibaku Laja, an evocative Odia abhinaya authored by KabisurjyaBaladeba Ratha. This emotive piece subtly portrays Radha’s shy, tender nostalgia after Krishna fondly embraces her, enchanted by her heartfelt veena performance. Choreographed by Guru Smt. Aruna Mohanty to the soulful music composition ofSuramani Ramesh Chandra Das andrhythm composition of Guru Gangadhar Pradhan.
A recipient of the Senior National Scholarship, Singar Mani, and Kala Ratna Award, Smt. Satapathy brought refined performance vocabulary and depth to the stage of Rabindra Mandap. She was supported beautifully byan ensemble of musicians with Shri Rupak Kumar Parida on vocals, Shri Agnimitra Behera on the violin, Shri Soumya Ranjan Joshi on the flute, Shri Sitakant Jena on the Mardala, and Shri Rohita Pradhan on the Manjira.
The proceedings for the evening were conducted seamlessly by Dr. Mrutyunjaya Rath.The programme achieved technical brilliance through the expertise of the Chief Sound Engineer of the festival Shri C. Anand Krishna, while Shri Bharath Krishna managed sound engineering alongside graphic design. The creative light design and operation were executed with precision by Shri Debiprasad Mishra and Shri D. Dhilip Kumar.
On the third evening, Odisha will witness its first experience of theatre virtuoso Dr. Piyal Bhattacharya’s Marganatya, a revitalisation of the Marga tradition of Natya from Bharata Muni’s Natyashastra. Chidakash Kalalay – Centre of Art and Divinity will present “Saugandhika Haranam,” a must-watch play choreographed by Dr. Piyal Bhattacharya, set to Shri Sayak Mitra’s music composition.
Designed under the vision and meticulous direction and administration of Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, with flawless programme executionevery 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.
