Continuing with its focus on highlighting young and acclaimed Indian classical dancers and musicians this year, the fourth evening of the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award festival on Friday presented Ahmedabad-based Kathak dancer Sanjukta Sinha and Carnatic singer-sisters Ranjani-Gayatri Balasubramanian from Chennai.
The evening further offered glimpses of Indian culture’s strength and beauty in its diversity - the North Indian classical dance of Kathak set to enchanting Hindustani music and the distinctly different Carnatic musical tradition of South India.
Born and brought up in lucknow, the land of Kathak, Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Prativa Puraskar winner Sanjukta was groomed by iconic Kathak exponent Kumudini lakhia in Ahmedabad resulting in a dancer and choreographer with a difference.
Unlike her counterparts who speak a lot to explain the intricacies of their concerts dividing it to components of pure and expressional dance, she hardly uttered the technical terminology that the lay audience fail to follow and harmoniously blended elements of pure and expressional dance in her concert with a brilliant juxtaposition of speed and serenity that made a better impact on the audience.
Kathak is not all about spectacular spins and fast footwork but of the dance from within when the body and soul dance together - Sanjukta’s captivating concert proved it. Her accompanying musicians on table, pakhwaj, sarangi and vocal - all from Delhi - complemented her dance of perfection and amazing intensity while offering glimpses of their individual artistry in Hindustani music tradition.
Quite popular in Carnatic music circuits, Chennai-based vocalist and violinist sisters Ranjani and Gayatri lived up to their reputation with their neat and impressive concert. The beauty of their duet concert was the perfect balance and coordination between the two sisters. There was no attempt to dominate the other in the duet concert. They chose popular compositions of great masters like Thyagaraj, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Mysore Basudevacharya and concluded with a Marathi avang that drew maximum cheer from the audience.
“Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra was an ambassador of Jagannath culture that he promoted world-wide through Odishi dance. He is the pride of the Odias and Odisha,” stated chief guest of the evening Minister Damodar Rout.
Former Odisha Chief Secretary Subas Pani, known for his research on Jagannath culture and as the brain behind a number of important dance and music festivals like the Mukteswar Festival, was one of the guests of the evening.
He complimented festival director Ratikant Mohapatra for curating the high standard festival and selecting the annual Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra awards on genuine artistes with a “vision and integrity”. Culture Secretary Manoranjan Panigrahi also spoke on the legend’s journey to glory from Raghurajpur village to the globe-trotter Guru of Odishi.