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 Prof Mohan Khokar centenary celebrations in Bhubaneswar October 9, 2024 The Centenary Celebrations of Late Professor Mohan Khokar was a homecoming for Ashish Khokar, as the city geared up to celebrate the 100th birthday anniversary of someone who has left behind much to be cherished and for someone who continues to be remembered to this day for being instrumental in getting Odissi dance a classical status. It was because of the fervent reporting of Dr Charles Fabri and Prof Khokar that Odissi got noticed outside Odisha and ultimately gained a classical status as one of the most ancient dance forms of India.  ORC auditorium all spruced up for the centenary celebrations The star dancers of Odissi, veterans, seniors and established icons got together at the venue to celebrate this remarkable man whose life itself was a celebration. The Prof Mohan Khokar centenary celebration was jointly organized by IGNCA and Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre and the GKCMORC was meticulous in inviting every dancer of Odissi to join hands in offering homage to this man. With Ashish Khokar taking the onus of visiting his favourite "hometown" and with his extremely down to earth demeanor, welcomed every attendee, adding a tinge of personal touch to the celebration that was hosted by the GKCMORC at their auditorium on 3rd October 2024. The celebrations started with a Mangalacharan offering by the students of GKCMORC followed by a rare film on the life and times of Prof Mohan Khokar and diligently prepared by his son Ashish Khokar, detailing his massive archives of Indian dance forms for over 100 years. One was equally amazed and dazed to see such a massive collection, all preserved extremely well. The collection included personal letters of correspondence too with legends and icons of Indian dance, some of whom are now deceased. The archive is indeed a national treasure, and it was extremely generous of the legendary Bharatanatyam dancer and wife of Prof Mohan Khokar, Guru M K Saroja, to have donated it to the cause of archiving Indian dance history, and their equally successful son, Ashish Khokar to have offered to set up an accessible library at the IGNCA. The festival was inaugurated by the Principal Secretary of Department of OLLC, and Culture Director along with the two doyens of Odissi, Dr Priyambada Mohanty Hejmadi and Kumkum Mohanty, who is credited to be the brain behind the GKCMORC. A book, commemorating the life and times of this celebrated historian and archivist, was released on this day.  Dr Priyambada Mohanty Hejmadi offering her tribute  Odissi Veterans and IAS incharge launch the book on Mohan Khokar by IGNCA The grand old lady of Odissi, Dr Priyambada Mohanty reminisced her association with Prof Mohan Khokar and after watching her dance at the Inter University Youth Festival in 1954, at New Delhi, Prof Mohan Khokar motivated Dr Charles Fabri to write about this form and because of this, the legendary dancer Indrani Rehman, came down to Odisha to study the form under one of the four main architects of Odissi, Late Dr Deba Prasad Das. Dr Hejmadi was overwhelmed by nostalgia when she remembered how she was addressed as 'Dear Child' by Prof Khokar. The next speaker for the evening was Guru Kumkum Mohanty, who spoke about her personal multiple interactions with Prof Khokar, stating that it was his archives that inspired her to create, build the GKCMORC with the sole purpose of archiving, codifying and creating a nomenclature for Odissi. She questioned why Prof Mohan Khokar had not been given a Padma award till date. Her tribute was followed by recollections by Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, Dr Aruna Mohanty, Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, Ileana Citaristi and Guru Gajendra Panda. The last to speak on the occasion was Sikata Das, the ex-CEO of GKCMORC, who spearheaded the celebrations when she was holding office. Celebrated dancers like Meera Das and late Dr Deba Prasad Das’s daughter Bipanchi Das were also present. The entire evening was conducted with elan by Anuja Tarini Mishra, who is currently the office-in-charge of the GKCMORC. The evening was attended by dancers and connoisseurs of Odissi and was followed by a sumptuous dinner. The function will remain etched in memory for its warmth, feeling of fraternity and goodness of art.  With Deputy CM, KV Singhdeo Ashish Khokar, upon his arrival at his favourite city, Bhubaneshwar, called on the deputy chief minister KV Singhdeo, and gifted him with a copy of 'Prof Mohan Khokar: The father figure of Indian dance history' that was released later during the day. He also called on the Minister for Culture, Suryavanshi Suraj, and updated him on their long links with the state. |
