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 Nrutyayan presents 4th Meera Festival of Dances Rabindra Mandap, 6.30pm March 13 & 14, 2026 Bhubaneswar March 7, 2026 Nrutyayan, a premier Odissi dance institution of the country and the brainchild of Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, organizes its annual classical dance festival, the fourth edition of the Meera Festival of Dances, on 13th and 14th March 2026 at Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar, at 6.30pm. Since its inception, the Meera Festival of Dances has steadily grown into a prestigious event in the cultural calendar of Odisha. While Odissi remains its primary focus, the festival also features other Indian classical dance forms, with the objective of promoting and propagating Odissi while fostering dialogue among India’s diverse classical traditions. This year’s festival will also feature duet Odissi recitals by two real-life dancing couples.  The first evening (13th March 2026) will begin with a solo Odissi recital by veteran Odissi exponent Aloka Kanungo. This will be followed by a group production by the host organization Nrutyayan titled CHANDRA - A PRAYER TO THE MOON GOD in eight verses based on the Chandraashtakam. The production is choreographed by Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, with music composed by Prof. Guru Ramahari Das and rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain. The evening will then feature a solo Kuchipudi recital by Kuchipudi exponent Avijit Das from Bangalore, followed by a duet Odissi performance by the dancing couple Bijan Palai and Soumya Sucharita Pal. The second evening (14th March 2026) will commence with a duet Odissi recital by senior disciples of Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, Dipti Routray and Sasmita Mohanty. This will be followed by a solo Bharatanatyam recital by Bharatanatyam exponent Kirti Ramgopal from Bangalore. The evening will further feature a duet Odissi performance by the distinguished dancing couple Ashok Ghoshal and Bandita Ghoshal. The festival will conclude with a group Odissi presentation by Pravat Kumar Swain and his Nrutya Naivedya ensemble. Since the inception of the Meera Festival of Dances, Nrutyayan has instituted two awards in honour of its founder - the Guru Durga Charan Ranbir Lifetime Achievement Award and the Guru Durga Charan Ranbir Yuva Puraskar. The former is conferred upon a veteran Odissi dancer who has devoted an entire lifetime to the service of Odissi dance, while the latter recognises a promising and established Indian classical dancer for outstanding contribution to the field. This year, the GURU DURGA CHARAN RANBIR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD will be conferred upon veteran Odissi exponent Aloka Kanungo, while the GURU DURGA CHARAN RANBIR YUVA PURASKAR will be presented to Kuchipudi dancer Avijit Das. The festival promises two evenings of exceptional classical dance performances by eminent artists from across the country, celebrating the rich legacy and continuing evolution of India’s classical dance traditions. Info: nrutyayan47@gmail.com / +91 93430 83425 / 98611 44971 |
