New Delhi: Renowned Odissi dancer and Padma Shri awardee Mayadhar Raut passed away Saturday at his Delhi home at the age of 92, his son Manoj Raut confirmed.
“He had breakfast with family and was in good health. He passed away due to old age,” he said. His last rites were performed at Lodhi Road crematorium. Born July 6, 1933, in Odisha, Raut was instrumental in reviving Odissi in the 1950s with Shastra-based knowledge.
Beginning his training at seven in the ‘Gotipua’ dance tradition, he was the first to present it on stage in 1944. He later worked to codify and redefine Odissi, helping it gain recognition as a classical dance form. Raut co-founded Kala Vikas Kendra in Cuttack (1952), India’s first institute to formally teach Odissi.
He also helped establish the Jayantika Association in 1959 to structure Odissi with classical frameworks, introducing ‘Sanchari Bhava’, ‘Mudra Viniyoga’, and ‘Rasa Theory’.
From 1970 to 1995, he led the Odissi department at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra. His choreography of Gitagovinda Ashtapadis inaugurated Delhi’s Kamani Auditorium in 1971.
His disciples include Ramani Ranjan Jena, Aloka Panikar, and Geeta Mahalik. Among his many accolades are the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1985) and Tagore Akademi Ratna (2011). He is survived by daughter and Odissi dancer Madhumita Raut and sons Manoj and Manmath Raut.
PNN
