Bhubaneswar: Four veteran artistes — Sharon Lowen, Keshab Chandra Rout, Dhirendranath Mallick and Mahasweta Ray — will be conferred the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award 2026 for their lifetime contributions to Odissi dance, music, theatre and cinema, respectively.
The awards, carrying a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh and a citation each, will be presented during the 32nd Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival, scheduled to be held from September 5 to 9 at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar.
The festival assumes special significance this year as it coincides with the birth centenary celebrations of legendary Odissi guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.
The five-day cultural festival will be organised by Srjan in collaboration with Sri Sri University. It has been curated by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, director of Srjan and dean of the Faculty of Arts, Communication and Indic Studies at Sri Sri University.
Besides the four veteran artistes, the second edition of the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra ‘KALA SAMMAN’ will honour artistes in the 40-55 age group. Violinist Agnimitra Behera and vocalist Dr Nazia Alam will receive the award, which carries Rs 50,000 and a citation each.
The Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra ‘Yuva Pratibha Samman’, carrying Rs 25,000 and a citation, will be presented to Sushree Vrinda Chadha and Sushree Aishwariya Singhdev for Odissi dance, Dr Nikita Banawalikar for Kathak, and Soumya Ranjan Nayak for Odissi music (mardala).
The festival will open on September 5 with a Hindustani vocal recital by renowned singer Shubha Mudgal. She will be accompanied by Aneesh Pradhan on tabla and Sudhir Nayak on harmonium.
On September 6, sarod maestro Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, accompanied by Satyajit Talwalkar, will present a recital, followed by an Odissi performance by Lipsa Satapathy. The day will also feature Saugandhika Haranam, a choreographed production by Chidakash Kalalay Centre.
The September 8 programme will feature a Bharatanatyam recital by Janaki Rangarajan, followed by a flute jugalbandi by Abhiram Nanda and Srinibas Satapathy.
The festival will conclude on September 9 with the award ceremony and Mati, a production by the Srjan Ensemble inspired by an evocative poem by eminent Odia poet Radha Mohan Gadanayak.
Choreographed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, Mati features music composed by Lakshmikant Palit, with the script adapted by the late Jaydev Das.
The festival is being held as part of the celebrations commemorating the legacy of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, whose contribution played a pivotal role in shaping and popularising Odissi as a major Indian classical dance form.
