31st Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival concludes on a high note with Award Ceremony and Srjan’s captivating premiere Duryodhana

Bhubaneswar :  Following the previous evening’s powerful theatrical presentation by Nalini Nihar Nayak and New quest Repertory’s Byaghra Rohan, the 31st Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (GKCM) Award Festival 2025 at Rabindra Mandap organised by Srjan concluded here on Tuesday. After four days of captivating performances commemorating over three resplendent decades in their pursuit of artistic excellence, the concluding evening commenced with the coveted award ceremony, followed by the much-awaited finale by the Srjan ensemble led by the artistic direction and vision of Guru Ratikant Mohapatra.

As on previous days, the proceedings of the evening began punctually at 7 pm, with the auspicious lighting of the lamp, in the presence of esteemed guests and dignitaries Shri Prasanta Nanda, Former Member of Parliament (RajyaSabha), Shri Pankaj Lochan Mohanty, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, MGM Minerals alongside Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, Director, Srjan, and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Communication and Indic Studies, SSU. Guru Ratikant Mohapatra delivered the Director’s address and welcomed all the guests and audiences on the celebrated concluding evening.

This year, Srjan presented the coveted Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award to two veterans of the Odissi universe for their lifetime contributions to the classical Arts. Smt. Madhavi Mudgal, distinguished Odissi dancer, Guru, choreographer, and Padma Shri awardee; and Shri Alekh Chandra Samal, eminent Odissi vocalist and music educator were conferred with the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award 2025, accompanied by a prestigious sum of Rs. 1,00,000/- and a citation.

The Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Pratibha Samman 2025 with a cash award of Rs. 25,000/- and citation, recognizing two remarkable performing artists under the age of 40 years from the fields of classical dance and Odissi music were bestowed upon Smt. Shatabdi Mallick for Odissi dance and Shri Muralidhar Swain for Odissi music.

In a new introduction this year, Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, Director, Srjan has instituted the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Kala Samman for established performing artistes from the fields of dance, music, and theatre, between 40–55 years of age for their noteworthy contributions and continued dedication to their Art forms. The Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Kala Samman 2025, with a sum of Rs. 50,000/- and a citation were awarded to Shri Raghunath Das and Shri Arnab Bandyopadhyay, both of whom have made a notable impact to the Odissi fraternity. In instituting this Award, Guru Ratikant Mohapatra aimed to address the lacuna in recognising those committed and meritorious artistes who have matured over the years to become seasoned performers, teachers, and educators in their respective fields.

Following the award ceremony, the Srjan ensemble unveiled Guru Ratikant Mohapatra’s innovative choreographic work Duryodhana. This compelling production reimagines one of the Mahabharata’s most complex character, presenting him not as a conventional antagonist but as a multifaceted protagonist whose admirable virtues of courage, and loyalty were overshadowed by fatal pride that became the catalyst for his demise.

The choreography masterfully depicted the cruel twist of fate orchestrated through Krishna’s cunning advice regarding Duryodhana’s encounter with his mother Gandhari, inadvertently creating the weakness that would prove fatal and the dramatic finale showcased Duryodhana’s courage in accepting Bhima’s challenge, even in his dying moments. The presentation Guru RatikantMohapatra’spoignant choreography examined the duality inherent in Duryodhana’s character, exploring the journey of a figure who embodied contradictions—simultaneously a revered leader, formidable warrior, and enlightened individual.

Conceptualized by Dr. Srinibas Ghatuary with the script of Pt. Nityananda Misra, the production is set to the musiccomposition of Shri Rupak Kumar Parida, musical arrangement of the late Shri Tarakanta Panda, and narrated by Shri Aditya Mahapatra, with the comprehensive choreographic vision, rhythmic composition, and musical supervision of Guru RatikantMohapatra.

Through this extraordinary presentation, Guru RatikantMohapatra  delved beyond conventional storytelling, employing movement, sound, and creative interpretation to articulate a deeper philosophical reflection. Smt. Rajashri Praharaj, Aishwariya Singhdev, Preetisha Mohapatra, G. Sanjay, Madhabi Rout, Daina Ghose, Rajkumar Kar, Pallishree, Subhashree Senapati, Prachi Mohanty, and Srutijyoshna Dash, presented the choreography with wonderful stage presence and synergy. The dancers with their agile and lithe bodies dancing in an effortless manner engaged the attention of the audience and kept them enthralled with nuanced facial expressions and lyrical body movements.The collaborative artistic excellence on the stage created visuals which left an indelible impression.

The exquisite light arrangement by Shri Debiprasad Mishra and Shri Dhilip Kumar, with the meticulous and professional sound engineering of Shri C Anand Krishna and Shri Bharath Krishna, provided able audio-visual support to the artistes, delighting the audiences, while Shri Mrutyunjaya Rath ably conducted the proceedings for the evening. The entire festival is meticulously curated and designed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, with seamless programme execution by Shri Debiprasad Mishra.

Srjan has benefited from valuable institutional collaboration with Sri Sri University (SSU). The 31st GKCM Award Festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and the Department of Odia Literature Language and Culture, Government of Odisha. The festival has benefited greatly from the CSR initiatives of MGM Minerals Ltd., Crown Worldwide Group, and Shalimar’s® Shalimar Chemical Works Pvt. Ltd., Odisha Mining Corporation Limited (OMC), and Ruchi™ Foodline. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is the Silver Sponsor for the Award Festival. Other festival sponsors include National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), Shalimar’s® Coconut Oil, State Bank of India (SBI), Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys Limited (IMFA), Paradeep Phosphates Limited (PPL), Priyadarshini, and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL). The Royale Midtown Hotel is their hospitality partner, while Dharitri and Orissa Post, along with Narthaki.com, are the media partners and web partner respectively.Over the five days, Srjan played host to diverse artistic expressions across dance, music, and theatre, with Srjan’s presentation of Duryodhana culminating the festival on a memorable and jubilant note.