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 GKCM Award Festival 2024 - Tapati Chowdhurie e-mail: tapatichow@yahoo.co.in Photos courtesy: Srjan November 26, 2024 It was a memorable year for Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival, held annually by Srjan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Nrityabasa. Memorable, because it celebrated the 30th year of the award giving function in honour of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar.  Chandan Das A ghazal evening by Chandan Das set the tone of the seven-day long festival (Sept 5 - 11, 2024). His rendition displayed the deep influence of the inimitable style of Mehdi Hassan, as revealed in the compositions of several renowned poets, he chose to sing. His recital with accompanying orchestra on the opening evening was a befitting inauguration. He was ably accompanied by Arshad Khan on tabla, Abhiram Nanda on flute, Arif Lateef on the keyboard, and Bhabhatosh Mohanty on the guitar. This year the idea of 'let that sink in' method was followed, with each evening having one artiste perform. It was an exceptionally well curated line-up of artistes.   Vaibhav Arekar and group Bharatanatyam exponent Vaibhav Arekar and his Sankhya Dance Company from Mumbai presented 'Shrimant Yogi,' a homage chronicling the life and times of Shivaji Maharaj. It was a captivating portrayal of the emotional and inspiring narrative of the Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji. Vaibhav Arekar was in the lead role. Dancers Swarada Bhave, Sacchidanand Narayankar, Gautam Marathe, Mrinal Joshi, Devayani Samant, Vaishnavi Puntambekar, Swarali Ghanghurde, Prajakta Shinde, and Eesha Pinglay built the story as visualized by the writer of the script. It was a narrative full of valour, energy and excitement, well told. The production captured the cultural, social context of the times. In addition to chronicling the life and times of Shivaji Maharaj, the presentation was replete with scenes of war and conflict, juxtaposed with the portrayal of the character's duty and sacrifices, and the establishment of Swarajya and Dharma. The image of Shivaji as a karma yogi was artfully conveyed through the seventy five minute production, aided by the light designing of Sushant Jadhav. Music composition and vocals by Manoj Desai and Karthik Hebbar was powerful and appropriate. The production featured the poetry of legends Sant Ramdas, Kavi Bhushan, Kusumagraj, Subramania Bharati, and Zaverchand Meghani, adding immensely to its rich sahitya. The performance of Vaibhav Arekar and Sankhya in Shrimant Yogi was mesmerizing.  OS Arun Celebrated Carnatic vocalist OS Arun entranced the rasikas with his music recital on the third day. Music lovers were transported to seventh heaven with the range and sweetness of his voice. He was accompanied suitably by Badri Narayanan on the violin, MS Venkatasubramanian on the mridangam, and E. Martin on the tabla, weaving deft rhythm patterns. The harmonious synergy of the musicians shone bright, as Arun masterfully rendered complex notes and tonal intricacies, imbuing bhakti into the soul of the music, harmoniously blending the essence of bhakti. Renowned for his mastery of musical knowledge and performance, he has been an illustrious and versatile vocalist for over four decades now, creating a unique personal style. He believes in making music traverse new pathways, actively facilitating intercultural synthesis of Art through the Alapana Foundation, and through his social outreach initiative Ratna Sangamam. He aids underserved communities.  Ambi Subramaniam Ambi, Bindu Subramaniam and Subra-Mania delighted keen listeners with their musical fusion on the fourth day of the festival. Young violinist Ambi Subramaniam and vocalist Bindu Subramaniam are taking forward the rich musical legacy of their father, much celebrated violin virtuoso Dr. L Subramaniam. The devotional element of the musical approach and its delivery by the Subramaniams reverberated in the air, spreading a spell all around, more so because believers were celebrating the auspicious occasion of Ganesha Chaturthi. SubraMania's musical fusion concert added immensely to the cultural extravaganza of the evening. Band SubraMania, led by Ambi Subramaniam on the violin, Bindu Subramaniam on vocals, Frijo Francis on the keyboard, Anirudha Bhat on the mridangam, Prashanth Gnanamuthu on the guitar, Karthik Mani on the drums, captivated the audience with their contemporary world music, a fusion of traditional Indian music with elements of pop, rock, and jazz, with their breakthrough track "Days in the Sun." Hailed as "India's Itzhak Pearlmann" by Ozy Magazine, Ambi is a Carnatic violin prodigy, music educator, and UN youth delegate, while Bindu, hailed as third-generation prodigy, is an entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, and educator. Together, they run SaPa -Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts. With a unique musical arrangement using the violin, mridangam, drums, and guitar, SubraMania presented a harmonic blend of different sounds, and tonality. Each track had a distinct element including Spanish Flamenco, Hungarian gypsy, and rhythmic intricacies. The band wove the intrinsic quality of Carnatic music into the contemporary milieu.  Rakesh Chaurasia and Ojas Adhiya Flautist Rakesh Chaurasia and percussionist Ojas Adhiya regaled the rasikas with their glorious Hindustani Jugalbandi. As the two seasoned musicians explored harmonic nuances and rhythmic intricacies on their wind and percussion instruments respectively, they ventured into the depths of classical Hindustani music. This Jugalbandi was conducted in perfect synergy, with each musician spreading the aura of the other through their seamless musical repartee. Audience applause said it all. The two artistes set their standards high as they wove in their unique playing styles exploring a multitude of ragas, talas, and musical intricacies, presenting the audience with a delightful evening. While Pt. Rakesh Chaurasia is a leading disciple of Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, and renowned for his blend of strength and serenity in both classical and experimental works as he constantly seeks to outshine himself in the realm of the Indian classical Bansuri, Ojas Adhiya is a prodigious tabla player and disciple of Mridangraj of the Ajrada Gharana and known for his extraordinary technical aptitude coupled with a vast knowledge base, playing with a fluency and elan that belies his years. Both artistes are celebrated for their excellence and commitment in their fields.  Ashimbandhu Bhattacharjee's group Kathak exponent Guru Ashimbandhu Bhattacharjee and his well-trained Kathakas - students of Upasana Centre for Dance - performed on the penultimate evening. Ashimbandhu's Moonstruck was enriching, poetic and picturesque. Ashimbandhu is an accomplished Kathak exponent from the Lucknow and Jaipur gharanas, with over four decades of experience. Along with dancers Ranjani Bhattacharjee, MadhukaDutta, Trisha Chatterjee, Anwita Saha, Deboshmita Ghosh, Shubhradip Shaw, Ritapratim Chowdhury, Sandip Sarkar, Gobindo Mondal, and Avik Chaki, he created magic. The narrative centred round the story of a man and the moon, set to the music composition of Jayanta Banerjee scripted by Amit Dasgupta, narrated in the sonorous voice of Biplab Ganguly. Aided by the light designing of Soumen Chakraborty, the narrative conveyed a contemplative, yet expressive personal conversation between a lonely man and his lifelong friend, the moon. With the rhythmic interpolations characteristic of Kathak, the choreography was set to a haunting melody that portrayed both the ethereal beauty and dark side of the moon. Moonstruck aimed to highlight man's enduring attraction to the moon, while portraying the contrast of the cosmic and the corporal. Intertwining the traditional and the contemporary, Moonstruck made for a memorable evening of Kathak. The week-long Award Festival came to a close with the award ceremony. Dr. Sandhya Purecha, Chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi; Mahasweta Ray, eminent cinema and television actress; and Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, Director, Srjan, and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Communication and Indic Studies SSU, gave away the awards to Kumkum Lal for her immense contributions to Odissi dance; to Guru Lakshmikanta Palit and Guru Dhaneswar Swain for their lifetime achievements in the field of Music and Percussion respectively; and to Uttam Mohanty, for his outstanding contributions to the realm of Odia cinema. Additionally, Shalimar's Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Prativa Samman awards, were presented to four exceptionally talented performing artistes under the age of 40 years in the field of classical dance and Odissi music. Pompi Paul and Rajnita Mehra received the award for Odissi dance, while Avijit Das was honoured for his dedication to Kuchipudi and Rohita Pradhan to Odissi mardala.   Tantra by Srjan ensemble Following the award ceremony, Guru Ratikant Mohapatra's Srjan ensemble presented the dance production Tantra, inspired by a spiritual and philosophical tradition that has shaped Indian culture for centuries, since the Vedic times. Contrary to the popular notion of Tantra prevalent globally, Tantra Sadhana was shown as something which teaches that life, in all its material and sensory experiences, must be embraced to transcend worldly attachments. It is a path of discipline through which one progresses to a state of divine liberation. Tantra is embodied as a woman, and the sadhaka cannot attain salvation without the invoking of the omnipotent Mahabhairavi, whose seed sustains the circle of life. In its basic level the Tantric goes through his Tantra Sadhana - Sadhana of the three Devis: Kali, Lakshmi and Saraswati - through many numerous rituals and practices to awaken the Devis, for his ultimate liberation. It is an arduous form of Sadhana. Sujata Mohapatra in the role of Devi and Rajib Bhattacharya in the role of Tantrik made a mark on the audience. The imaginative choreographer showed through his repertory members the various stages of Tantra Sadhana before bringing to life the very powerful Devi in her three manifestations. Through this spectacular narrative, Guru Ratikant Mohapatra ventured beyond traditional Odissi, using dance, music, and innovation to express the essence of the profound and timeless subject of Tantra, invoking the divine feminine for the uplift of society and humankind. Presented as an evocative blend of haunting imagery and distinctive elements of Odissi in the esoteric tradition of Tantra, Srjan's presentation featured uniqueness in the music, choreography, and costumes providing a delightful visual and aesthetic experience. The dancers Sujata Mohapatra, Rajib Bhattacharya, Rajashri Praharaj, Aishwariya Singhdev, Santosh Ram, Preetisha Mohapatra, G Sanjay, Madhabi Rout, Alisha Dhal, Daina Ghose, Rajkumar Kar, Angelina Pal, Priti Prangya Paikray, Subhashree Senapati, Sangita Swain, and Amrita Suhani, presented the choreography with great energy and vigour. Light designing perhaps could have been a little more subtle for the blossoming of Tantra. Mrutyunjaya Rath, the Master of Ceremonies, was excellent. The entire festival was meticulously curated and designed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, with seamless programme execution by Debiprasad Mishra. Srjan, with the institutional support of Sri Sri University, Cuttack, fulfilled its aim to foster the crucial inter-connectedness of academia and performing arts in classical realm. With the support of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and the Department of Odia Literature Language and Culture, Government of Odisha, the gold sponsor of the festival, Odisha Mining Corporation Ltd, and its festival sponsors Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd., Shalimar's Coconut Oil, NALCO, SBI, IMFA and others, the festival ended on a high note.  Tapati Chowdhurie trained under Guru Gopinath in Madras and was briefly with International Centre for Kathakali in New Delhi. Presently, she is a freelance writer on the performing arts. She is the author of 'Guru Gopinath: The Making of a Legend.' |
