Bhubaneswar: Legendary Odissi dancer and Padma Shri awardee Mayadhar Raut passed away at the age of 92 on Saturday at his residence in Delhi.
According to family sources, Raut had breakfast in the morning, surrounded by his grandchildren and other family members. He was not suffering from any illness and passed away due to old age.
Born on July 6, 1933, in Odisha, Raut is revered as the “Father of Odissi Dance” for his instrumental role in reviving and shaping Odissi into a classical dance form in the 1950s using Shastra-based principles.
Raut began his dance journey at the age of seven, training in ‘Gotipua’, a precursor to classical Odissi. He was the first to present Gotipua dance on stage in 1944. Later, he dedicated his life to codifying, redefining, and restructuring Odissi, securing its recognition as a classical dance form.
In 1952, Raut co-founded Kala Vikas Kendra in Cuttack, the first institute in India to formally teach Odissi. He was also one of the founding members of the Jayantika Association in 1959, which worked towards establishing the classical framework of Odissi, incorporating the fundamentals of ‘Abhinaya’.
He is credited with introducing ‘Sanchari Bhava’, ‘Mudra Viniyoga’, and ‘Rasa Theory’ into Odissi dance. Additionally, he was the first guru to choreograph “Gitagovinda Ashtapadis” with ‘Shringara Rasa’, including notable compositions like “Pashyati Dishi Dishi”, “Priya Charu Shile”, and “Sakhi”.
From 1970 to 1995, Raut led the Odissi department at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra. His choreography of “Gitagovinda” inaugurated Delhi’s prestigious Kamani Auditorium in 1971. Many eminent Odissi dancers, including Ramani Ranjan Jena, Aloka Panikar, and Geeta Mahalik, were his disciples.
For his outstanding contributions to Odissi dance, Raut received several prestigious awards, including the Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1977), Sahitya Kala Parishad Award (1984), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1985), Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award (2003), Upendra Bhanja Samman (2005), and Tagore Akademi Ratna (2011).
Raut is survived by his daughter, Odissi dancer Madhumita Raut, and his sons, Manoj and Manmath Raut. His wife, Mamta Raut, passed away in 2017.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi condoled Raut’s demise, expressing deep sorrow in a post on X.
Majhi described Raut’s passing as an irreparable loss to the world of Odissi dance, acknowledging his lifelong contributions in enriching the dance form with classical knowledge and elevating its stature at national and international levels.
He prayed for Raut’s eternal peace and extended his condolences to the bereaved family.
