BHUBANESWAR: Just three years old, the annual music festival being hosted by Odissi music Guru Keshab Chandra Rout’s Sangeet Omkar institution has carved a niche for itself in the Capital City’s annual cultural calendar for its exclusive character. Its focus has been on propagation of traditional Odissi music and its practitioners as soloists.
While the first edition of the festival launched in 2007 showcased Odissi raga sangeet, it was the turn of the traditional Champu last year that featured 34 compositions of Kabisurya Baladev Rath. And the recently concluded two-day event – Geet Govind Sandhya – staged at Jayadev Bhawan was a unique initiative to present all the 24 ashtapadis of Geet Govind composed by the 12th century saint poet Jayadev.
Guru Rout composed the music for the 24 ashtapadis and he invited 12 gifted Odissi singers that included veteran vocalist and music composer Guru Ramahari Das to present the songs. While the budding artistes of host Sangeet Omkar opened the festival with a group recital of srita kamala kucha mandala number, gifted young singer Nazia Alam set the evening into motion with lalita labanga lata that was based on raga Basant. She also sang another number later – sakhi hey – in her impressive style of singing. Next came Sur Sarita, daughter and disciple of Guru Rout, who performed the chandana charchita neela kalebara number while Bharati Jena neatly presented the nindati chandan and dhira samire numbers. The other singer who had an impressive performance during the inaugural evening was Jhumki Rath. However, it was lesser-known singer Gitanjali Behera, who emerged as the find of the festival with two of her brilliant presentations. And as usual, Guru Ramahari Das regaled with his meditative music as he sang the ma miham number set to raga Darbari.
The concluding evening witnessed recital of different prabandhas of the Geet Govind both by the established and the emerging Odissi vocalists. Guru Rout apart, Lata Ghosh and Mitali Chinara were at their usual best. The two young and promising singers that the evening featured were Bishnupriya Priyadarshini and Rajalaxmi Panda. And the only duet recital was presented by Bibekananda Rout and Jaladhar Pradhan. Bhagyalipi Malla’s artistic anchoring added a distinct flavour to the festival.
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