Odisha Channel Bureau
Bhubaneswar: The 26th OMC Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival 2020 will be held online from September 5 to September 9.
The festival – being organised Srjan, a premier Odissi dance school – will be online-only event for the first time due to the prevailing COVID-19 crisis and restrictions in force due to the pandemic.
The festival will be viewed on virtual platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.
The event will be inaugurated by the eminent cine actress Hema Malini and attended virtually by several dignitaries, influential citizens, and luminaries from the world of art.
The award festival will be conducted with strict adherence to all the government mandated COVID‐19 safety guidelines.
The entire festival has been curated and designed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, with the programme execution by Debiprasad Mishra.
The Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award 2020 will be presented to Raj Gopal Mishra, veteran cinematographer for his invaluable contribution and lifetime achievements to the world of Odia cinema.
The Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Pratibha Samman will be presented to Pravat Kumar Swain for Odissi dance and to Himansu Sekhar Swain for Odissi music acknowledging their dedication to their art forms. The Awards will be presented by Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal.
Srjan has dedicated this year’s festival to the memory of Pandit Jasraj who shared a special and close association with Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra for many decades.
The festival has been designed with an eye on the most suitable combination of artistes and genre, with presentations by world renowned artistes.
The dance presentations in the festival will include Odissi by Madhusmita Mohanty, Bharatanatyam by Praveen Kumar, Kathak by Gauri Diwakar, and Vilasini Natyam by Purvadhanashree.
The inaugural evening will feature eminent Hindustani musician, Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. Guru Dhaneswar Swain, distinguished Mardala guru and performer, and Abhishek Raghuram, acclaimed Carnatic vocalist will perform on the second and third evenings respectively, while Arun Bhattacharya, the renowned Santoor player, will perform on the fourth evening.
The concluding evening will feature the prestigious Award ceremony, followed by the much‐awaited finale by the Srjan ensemble. This year, Srjan will present Anweshanaa, a bouquet of neo‐classical choreographs in Odissi dance, conceptualised and choreographed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra.
