The Debadasi organisation celebrated its 14th annual function ‘Nrutyanjali’ for two days at the Rabindra Mandap here on Monday and Tuesday.

The event started with a showcase of the voyage of the organisation’s 18 years including the struggle of its founder Rosalin Mohapatra, a noted Odishi dancer. Her dedication has established the reputation for Debadasi in Odisha, observed Ratnakar Rout, a senior IAS officer.

The disciples of the organisation performed various aspects of Odishi dance in forms such as ‘Nrutya Pallavi’, ‘Madhurastakam’, ’Nadam’, ‘Dashavatar’. In ‘Nrtyuabhinaya’ of Guru lingaraj Pradhan, younger pupils performed ‘Palli Nrutya’, a group dance on ‘Na jaa Jamuna’, and ‘Moksha’ which made the audiences awestruck.

The celebrity comedian of Odia film industry Debu Brahma recalled his association with the organisation as managing director. The other luminaries who joined the function were Suramani Ramesh Ch Das, laxminarayan Agrawal, Bijay Nayak and Director of Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy and renowned Odishi dancer Mira Das.

The name ‘Debadasi’ is widely known as part of lord Jgannath’s 36 ‘Nijogs’ as per the tradition of the Shreemandir. Though the tradition has ceased now, it has survived through Odishi dance as devotion to the lord. So by carrying this name, the Debadasi organisation has become a reputed one. Its goal is to popularise and propagate the Odishi dance through its disciples, who are now getting invitations to perform in and out of the country.

The outstanding performances of Sandhya, Manisha, Bidyangi, Barsa, Sampurna, lipsa and Rupsa exhibited the true devoutness towards the Odishi dance and a perfect rationale of the organisation’s achievement over the years.

On the occasion, the organisation honoured Padmashri Aruna Mohanty with ‘Nrutyanjali Samman’ of the year 2018 for her glory in the journey of Odishi as a dancer across the globe.