BHUBANESWAR: Odissi exponent Sujata Mohapatra has been selected for one of the country’s most coveted national honours, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2017, for her outstanding contribution to Odissi. This was decided at the meeting of the General Council of the Akademi held on June 8 at Imphal in Manipur. She will receive the award along with 42 artistes from across the country for their excellence in various performing art forms. She is the only one from Odisha to receive the award for 2017. Born in Balasore, she learnt the dance form from Guru Sudhakar Sahu.
Later, she shifted to Bhubaneswar where she was trained by the legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra at Odissi Research Centre. She is married to Guru Kelucharan’s son Ratikant Mohapatra.Some of other artistes who will also receive the award include Rama Vaidyanathan (Bharatnatyam), Shobha Koser (Kathak), Madambi Subramaniam (Kathakali), LN Oinam Ongbi Dhoni Devi (Manipuri), Deepika Reddy (Kuchipudi), Ramkrishna Talukdar (Sattriya), Janmajay Saibabu (Chhau) and Ashit Desai (music for dance).