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Bhubaneswar: The 14th DhauliKalinga Mahotsav, being organised by Orissa Dance Academy and State Tourism Department, commenced amid much fanfare and vibrant classical dances at the foothill of Dhauli here, Friday. The inaugural event showcased a rare blend of instrumental fusion and classical dances that entertained a large chosen gathering at the venue.
The programme started with an innovative piece called ‘instrumental fusion’ was presented by Shivagni, a group of music exponents. The state’s popular mu
sicians including seven instrumentalists and a vocalist rendered Hindustani raagas in Irish and Arabic as a beginning. Artistes Srinibas Satapathy (flute), Agnimitra Behera (violin), Biswaranjan Nanda (tabla), Kshiti Prakash Mohapatra (vocal), Debaranjan
Nayak (guitar), Sameer Ranjan Pradhan (percussion), Bikasita Sahoo (drums) and Ramesh Chandra Behera (keyboard) regaled the audiences. Veteran Manipuri danseuse Priti Patel and her troupe featured the tale of sacred rivers in the subcontinent with their spell-bound presentation ‘Turel-Listen to the River’.
They synchronized the impartial nature of the river that hears all the Hindu hymns, the Buddhist chant, the prayers from the mosques and thebells of the Churches. The recital was choreographed by Priti Patel and the script was based on the poems by eminent poet Suryakant Tripathi. Priti has performed in prominent festivals like the Khajuraho Dance Festival, Bhagyachandra Dance Festival, and the Festival of India in France and the USSR. She is the recipient of the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and a lead
ing Manipuri dancer of the new generation. The last presentation of the evening was ‘Mayurbhanji Chhau Dance’ featured by Subhasree Mukherjee and her group. The group presented ‘Pancha Bhuta’, five great elements – Earth (solid), Water (liquid), Fire (heat), Wind (prana) and Ether (space).
Ten artistes showcased the interface of men and technology that led to the collapse of the original balance of nature. Concluding the recital, the artistes displayed re-establishment of balance between macro and micro-cosmos through the rediscovery of an intimate relationship between man and nature.
The concept and choreography have been evolved by danseuse Ileana Citaristi. Artistes Trilochan Mohanto, Bajuram Tudu, Bechna Mohanto, Krishna Ghadei, Laltu Mohanto, Robin Singh, Susanta Bindhani, Surendra Bindhani, Bhabendra Bindhani and Akhyaya Mohanto performed the recital. In addition to the cultural activities, the organisers conferred the ‘Guru Gangadhar Pradhan Smruti Samman 2018’ on four artistes – SK Tamotia (Dean[-cum-director general and vice-chairman of Bhavan’s Centre for Communication and Management), Atulya Mahakud (lyricist and actor), Guru Dhaneswar Swain (Odissi Mardala exponent) and Bhagirathi Das (Odissi garments craftsman). The artistes received citations along with cash award of `25,000 eac
