Dedicating the 28th OMC Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (GKCM) Award Festival to legendary Kathak maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj, the Srjan paid homage to the departed soul on the inaugural evening of the festival. In the universe of dance, the bond between Birju Maharaj and Mohapatra is fondly remembered.
The five-day award festival at the Rabindra Mandap here will continue till September 9 at 7 pm each day.
The welcome address by Srjan director Guru Ratikant Mohapatra was followed by speeches by Prabodh Rath, eminent theatre personality and Secretary, Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi; Pankaj Lochan Mohanty, Director, MGM Minerals; Prof BR Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, Sri Sri University, Cuttack; Ashwini Kumar Patra, Minister of Tourism, Odia Literature Language and Culture; and Madhu Sudan Padhi, Addl. Chief Secretary, Odia Literature Language and Culture.
The audience was treated to the much-awaited performance by famed flautist Pandit Ronu Majumdar, renowned percussionist Ustad Taufiq Qureshi and rising Tabla artist Ishaan Ghosh.