Bhubaneswar: The five-day 32nd Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (GKCM) Award Festival 2026 concluded on a high note here Wednesday with the prestigious award presentation ceremony followed by a captivating performance of ‘Maati’ by the Srjan Ensemble.
The festival, organised by Srjan – Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Nrityabasa, in collaboration with Sri Sri University, kataka.
On the concluding day, the GKCM Award 2026, carrying a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh and a citation, was conferred on four eminent personalities for their lifetime contributions to the arts.
The awardees were Guru Sharon Lowen for dance, Guru Keshab Chandra Rout for music, Dhirendranath Mallick for Theatre, and Mahasweta Ray for Cinema.
The GKCM Kala Samman 2026 was presented to Agnimi tra Behera for instrumental music (violin) and Dr Nazia Alam for vocal music. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and a citation.
The GKCM Yuva Pratibha Samman 2026 was presented to Vrinda Chadha and Aishwariya Singhdev for Odissi dance, Dr Nikita Banawalikar for Kathak, and Soumya Ranjan Nayak for Odissi music (Mardala). Each recipient received Rs 25,000 and a citation.
Addressing the gathering, Babu Singh, MLA, Bhubaneswar, and K. V. Singh Deo, Deputy Chief Minister of Odisha, praised the enduring legacy of the festival.
The award ceremony was followed by the much-awaited grand finale—‘Maati’, an innovative choreographic production by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra.
Inspired by the work of eminent Odia poet Radha Mohan Gadanayak, with script adaptation by the late Jayadev Das, the production featured music composed by Guru Lakshmikant Palit and musical arrangement by the late Tarakant Panda.
The lighting design and operation were handled by Debiprasad Mishra and D. Dhilip Kumar. ‘Maati’ celebrated the resilience and eternal triumph of Mother Earth, the cradle of life.
The production created a cosmic interplay between the earth and the elements—sky, sun, moon, clouds and wind—while portraying Mother Earth’s acceptance of life’s burdens with grace and forbearance.
The performers for the event were Rajashri Praharaj, Aishwariya Singhdev, Preetisha Mohapatra, Madhabi Rout, Daina Ghose, Pallishree Priyadarshini, G. Sanjay and Rajkumar Kar.