BHUBANESWAR: Celebrating the legacy of the legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, the 31st Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra award festival began with a performance by noted Odissi dancer Sujata Mohapatra and her daughter Preetisha, here on Friday.
The festival commenced with ‘Guru Vandana’, a reverent invocation to the Almighty, the Guru, and the Parabrahman. Set to ‘Raga Malika’ in ‘Adi Tala’, the piece was choreographed by Odissi guru Ratikant Mohapatra.
This was followed by their central piece for the evening, ‘Satyakama Jabala’, a tale from the Chhandogya Upanishad, that celebrates truth and dedication in an individual’s journey toward self-realisation. It struck a resonant chord - the story of a mother teaching her son that honesty is not something to be ashamed of.
Later, Bimbavati Devi and her troupe Manipuri Nartanalaya presented Devatmayee - The Soul of the Gods. Bimbavati, a versatile Manipuri exponent is also proficient in the Pung (Manipuri Mridanga) and Thang Ta, Manipur’s traditional martial art. In ‘Devatmayee’, the ancient Manipuri concept of Mother Goddess was contrasted and compared with the Vedic interpretation of the God Mother.
The festival will conclude on September 9.