Veteran theatre artiste Binodini Debi to receive Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award 2021

Bhubaneswar : Veteran theatre artiste Binodini Debi will be presented Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award 2021 for her invaluable contribution and lifetime achievement in the field of Odia theatre.
The Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (GKCM) Award Festival is scheduled to be held in virtual mode
this year from September 5 to 9 next.
On the concluding day of the festival the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Pratibha Samman will
be presented to Arushi Mudgal for Odissi dance and Ramachandra Behera for Odissi music (Mardala) acknowledging their dedication to their art forms and in recognition of their inspiring performances.
The Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award, which carries a cash award of Rs. 1,00,000 and a citation,
is to confer recognition upon individuals for their outstanding contribution to the fields of Dance, Music, Cinema, and Theatre.
Additionally, the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Pratibha Samman, with a cash prize of Rs. 25,000/- and a citation is presented to exceptionally talented performing artistes under the age of 40 years in the field of classical dance and Odissi music to acknowledge their outstanding performances.
The festival is organised every year by Srjan with an aim—to create and sustain awareness of our classical traditions in dance and music.
The Award Festival will be conducted with strict adherence to all the government mandated COVID-19 safety guidelines, with virtual attendance of several dignitaries and luminaries from the world of Art.
Srjan has dedicated this year’s festival in memory of Guruma, late Laxmipriya Mohapatra, the first ever dancer to perform Odissi on stage and the fountain of inspiration for many doyennes of Odissi dance.
This year, the dance presentations scheduled for the Award Festival include Odissi by Sharmila Mukerjee, Bharatanatyam by Anita Mallick, Sattriya by Anwesa Mahanta, and Kathak by Sushree
Nikkita Banawalikar.
The festival will also feature recitals by world-renowned Violinist, Dr. Sangeeta Shankar, popular Odissi vocalist, Rupak Kumar Parida, acclaimed Hindustani vocalist, Manjusha Patil, and the reputed flautist, Abhiram Nanda.
Srjan will present a bouquet of neo-classical choreographs in Odissi dance, conceptualized and choreographed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra.
Beginning with an invocation to Lord Ganesha, Vinayaka Smarane, Srjan will explore the intricacies
of neo-classical Odissi compositions with dances such as Parameshwari Pallavi and the experimental piece, titled Shiva Shangsanam, based on the Odissi idiom.
This presentation pushes the boundaries of dance innovation with its novel style of execution. They will also present Maati, a dance ballet based on the work of Radha Mohan Gadanayak.
The entire festival has been curated, conceptualized, and designed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra,
with the programme execution by Debi Prasad Mishra.