Bhubaneswar, September 5: In its 30th year of celebration, the annual Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (GKCM) Award Festival, the premier classical event in the cultural calendar of Odisha organised by Srjan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Nrityabasa commenced with a beautiful and soulful Ghazal recital by eminent singer Shri Chandan Dass, here on Thursday.
The seven-day cultural extravaganza scheduled from September 5-11 this year features an exceptionally well-curated line-up of artistes including celebrated musicians Kalaimamani Dr.OS Arun, Pt. Rakesh Chaurasia, Shri OjasAdhiya, and ShriAmbi and Smt. Bindu Subramaniam, and renowned dancers Guru Vaibhav Arekar and Guru Ashimbandhu Bhattacharjee with their troupes, and Guru Ratikant Mohapatra’s very own Srjan ensemble. The award ceremony on the final day will see stalwart artistes Guru Smt. Kumkum Lal, Guru Lakshmikanta Palit, Guru Dhaneswar Swain, and Shri Uttam Mohanty receive the Shalimar’s Guru KelucharanMohapatra Award 2024, while Dr.Pompi Paul, Smt. Rajnita Mehra, Shri Avijit Das, and Shri Rohita Pradhan receive the Shalimar’s Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Prativa Samman 2024.
The inaugural evening commenced punctually at 7 pm, with the auspicious lighting of the lamp, and the welcome address. The esteemed guests for the evening included Shri Suresh Pujari, Hon’ble Minister of Revenue, Prof. Dr.Tej Partap, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Sri Sri University (SSU), Cuttack; Shri Ashok Kumar Tripathy, Former Member, Board of Revenue, Govt. of Odisha; ShriPankajLochanMohanty, Chairman, MGM Minerals Ltd.and Guru RatikantMohapatra, Director, Srjan, and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Communication and Indic Studies, SSU.
The soulful Ghazal rendition of Shri Chandan Dass was replete with his distinctive style of singing with the signature aura of his hometown Murshidabad. A Begum AkhtarPuraskar recipient, the deep influence of the inimitable style of legend Mehdi Hassan shone bright as he lent his voice to the works of several renowned poets. Aiming to promote and preserve the rich Ghazal tradition of India, his harmonious recital with his accompanying orchestra on the opening evening of the 30th GKCM Award Festival 2024 was a befitting inauguration and tribute to the Arts. He was ably accompanied by Shri Arshad Khan on Tabla, ShriAbhiram Nanda on the flute, Shri Arif Lateef on the keyboard, and ShriBhabhatoshMohanty on the guitar.
The curtains drew to a close as Srjan awaits yet another evening of cultural immersion, with the Bharatanatyam performance of reputed Bharatanatyam exponent Guru Vaibhav Arekar and the Sankhya Dance Company from Mumbai, who will present Shrimant Yogi, a homage chronicling the life and times of the legendary Shivaji Maharaj.
Srjan is receiving the able institutional support of Sri Sri University, Cuttack, a leading educational institution of India. This alliance aims to foster the inter-connectedness of academia and performing arts in classical realm. The entire festival is curated, conceptualized, and designed by Ratikant Mohapatra, with punctilious programme execution by Debiprasad Mishra. ShriMrutyunjayaRath conducted the proceedings for the evening seamlessly. The 30th GKCM Award Festival has received donations from MGM Minerals and Shalimar Chemical Works Pvt. Ltd. Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and the Department of Odia Literature Language and Culture, Government of Odisha, the festival sponsors include Shalimar’s Coconut Oil, NALCO, SBI, IMFA, Priyadarshini Silks, and Paradeep Phosphates Limited. The Royale Midtown Hotel is its hospitality partner. Dharitri and Orissa Post, and Narthaki.com are the media partners and web partner respectively.
