The sixth edition of the Guru Debaprasad Award organised by dance institute Tridhara concluded amidst felicitation of four distinguished danseuses, Odissi guru Aloka Panikar, Kathak dancer Padmashree Shovana Narayan, Kuchipudi performer Bidhushi Vyajayanthi Kashi and Bharatnatyam guru Radha Shreedhara with the Guru Debaprasad Award at the Rabindra Mandap here on Saturday.
Instituted in honour of legendary Guru Debaprasad Das, one of the Odissi guru trio and respected for his pure and unique style of Odissi, the award consists of a memento, an Anga Vastra and a cash prize of Rs25, 000 each.
Dance History Society Chairman Ashish Mohan Khokar, attending the ceremony, said, “Art is the wealth which neither ruins nor reduces but always increases. And it is art and culture which bestow India its pride extending a unique identity to it.”
The two-day mélange of classical dance and music witnessed congregation of performing artists and admirers of classical dance and music from across the country.
The inaugural evening commenced with a group dance performance Bande Maataram by Tridhara dancers. Afterwards, Malaysian wonder-kid Ananya Kanan left the audience awestruck with her fluid performance on Odia poet Gopalakrishna’s famous poem Uthilu Edebegi Kahinki re.
Quoting Ekam Sat, Vipra Bhudha Vadanti, famous Kathak danseuse Shovana Narayan performed solo abhinaya on popular Ugna-Vidyapati folklore depicting how lord Shiva impressed on Mithila-based poet Vidyapati’s talents descends on earth to serve Him as a servant and vanished once when the poet reveals Shiva’s identity to his wife.
Ugna re Mor Katay Galaa…, the soulful mourn of the 15th-century poet Vidyapati written by famous Hindi poet Kabi Nirjhar and adorned in music by Pandit Jwala Prasad was rendered in equal brilliance in keeping pace with steps and rhythm by Shovana Narayan.
An interesting fusion of new and old, ballet Jagaran, the concluding performance of the inaugural evening, based on a writing of Swami Vivekananda with the same name and choreographed by Kolkata-based Bidushi Tanushree Shankar, got rave reviews from the audience.
The concluding evening commenced with a Kuchipudi solo by Bidhushi Vyjayanthi Kashi enthralling the enthusiasts with two of her own creations Bhairavi and Yaksha Gaan. Pandit Kailash Sharma kept captivating classical music adherents with his solo flute recital in Hindustani music started with Raag Bhupali followed by Teen Taal recital with improvisations that emphasised his hold on classical music.