Bhubaneswar – After two years of successfully hosting the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (GKCM) Award Festival on digital platforms, leading Odissi dance institution Srjan brought the Award Festival back to the proscenium stage in style, hosting the 28th OMC GKCM Award Festival at Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar from September 5th to September 9th at 7 pm each day. After four consecutive evenings of spectacular classical presentations, the festival culminated in the award presentation ceremony and the finale by the Srjan ensemble.
The GKCM Award 2022 was presented to Shri Niranjan Rout and Shri Ramhari Das for their immense contribution and lifetime achievement in the fields of Odissi dance and music respectively. The coveted award carries a respectable allocation of Rs. 1,00,000/- each and a citation. This was followed by the presentation of the GKCM Yuva Prativa Samman, which focuses on reviving the all-important role of the solo artiste in the classical idiom. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 25,000/- and a citation. This year, Smt. Geetanjali Acharya and Shri Matru Prasad Das received the GKCM Yuva Prativa Samman for Odissi dance and Odissi music (Vocal) respectively, in recognition of their inspiring performances and commitment to their Art.
Esteemed dignitaries Shri Sidhanta Mohapatra, Noted Cine Actor and Former Member of Parliament; Shri Ashok Kumar Tripathy, Former Member, Board of Revenue, Odisha; and Shri Balwant Singh, Managing Director, OMC addressed the audience on this concluding evening.
The much-awaited finale was a presentation by the Srjan ensemble, who, under the direction of Shri Ratikant Mohapatra perform extensively within India and overseas, presenting compositions with fast-paced movements, innovations in dance and music, and depicting popular themes, within the Odissi idiom. Srjan presented the Odissi dance ballet “Ravan,” choreographed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, the driving force behind Srjan’s success.
Defying the popular notion of Ravana, this Odissi production presented a novel understanding of the epic Ramayana. Donning the central role of Ravana, Guru Ratikant Mohapatra portrayed the character with spell-binding effect. Portraying Ravana as the raison d’être of the Ramayana, the recital began with a powerful and striking invocation to Dashanana, a departure from the customary invocation to gods and goddesses. Ravana, the “Mahanayaka,” who strove to attain moksha through strife, struggle, and warfare, is the all-powerful king who displayed rare courage, integrity, and perseverance, in spite of a variety of negative and evil traits. Striking costumes, memorable music, and excellent dancing characterised this presentation by Srjan.
The dancers, Smt. Rajashri Praharaj, Ritu Sengupta, Aishwariya Singhdev, Sipra Swain, Preetisha Mohapatra, Madhabi Rout, Daina Ghose, Alisha Dhal, Sanjay Kumar Behera, and G. Sanjay delivered power-packed performances, while playing each character with poise and maturity. This finale was a befitting testament to the richness, memorability, and attractiveness of Shri Ratikant Mohapatra’s choreography, performed with precision and perfection by his well-rounded ensemble. They were aided by the skilful and distinctive light designing of Shri Debiprasad Mishra and the seamless sound engineering of Shri C. Anand Krishna.
The festival was streamed live on Srjan’s Facebook page and YouTube channel, and was attended by several dignitaries, influential citizens, luminaries from the world of Art, and audiences from across India and abroad. The entire festival was curated, conceptualized, and designed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, with the programme execution by Shri Debiprasad Mishra. Smt. Anuja Mishra and Shri Mrutyunjaya Rath ably and effortlessly conducted the proceedings of the entire festival.
This year, Srjan was fortunate to receive the institutional support of Sri Sri University, Cuttack, leading educational institution of India. The title sponsor of the festival was Odisha Mining Corporation Limited (OMC). The 28th OMC GKCM Award Festival was supported by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and the Department of Odia Literature Language and Culture, Government of Odisha. While MGM Minerals and Odisha Tourism were the gold sponsors, NALCO, IMFA, Priyadarshini Silks, and Paradeep Phosphates Limited were the festival sponsors. The hospitality sponsors were Mayfair Hotels and Resorts, Swosti Group of Hotels and Resorts, and The Royale Midtown Hotel. Dharitri and Orissa Post, and Narthaki.com were the media partners and web partner respectively.
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