The 30th Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (GKCM) Award Festival 2024, organised by Srjan-Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Nrityabasa with support from Sri Sri University, concluded on Wednesday at Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar. The week-long event featured performances by renowned artists and culminated with an award ceremony followed by the Srjan ensemble’s presentation of Tantra, choreographed by guru Ratikant Mohapatra.

The evening opened with the lighting of the lamp, attended by dignitaries  Sandhya Purecha, Chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi, actress and dancer Mahasweta Ray, and guru Ratikant Mohapatra. The Shalimar Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Awards for 2024 were presented to eminent Odissi dancer Kumkum Lal, guru Lakshmikanta Palit (music), guru Dhaneswar Swain (percussion) and Uttam Mohanty. Four young artists, Pompi Paul and Ranjitha Mehra (née Banerjee) for Odissi, Avjit Das for Kuchipudi, and  Rohit Pradhan for Odissi Mardala received the Yuva Prativa Samman awards for their work in classical dance.

The festival, which was showcased from 5-11 September 2024, featured performances by artists across various classical forms, including Bharatanatyam, Hindustani music, and Kathak. 

pc: @Srjan FB