NIMBLE FEET: Gangadhar Pradhan performing at the inaugural session of the third international Odissi dance festival in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.

BHUBANSWAR: The third international Odissi dance festival was inaugurated at a glittering function here today. The five-day event is being hosted by US-based NGO Indian Performing Arts Promotion (IPAP) in association with the State Government.

However, the inaugural function was marred with Odissi's two living legends boycotting the historic event. While New Delhi-based Odissi maestro Mayadhar Raut refused to receive the lifetime achievement award, eminent scholar and former Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi president Dhirendra Nath Patnaik expressed his regret over an alleged shabby dealing by the organisers towards him and guru Raut.

Founding fathers

The incident is likely to put the Government in an embarrassing situation as Raut and Patnaik are revered as the founding fathers of Odissi dance.

Along with late maestros like Pankaj Charan, Kelucharan and Debaprasad, they had formed Jayantika Association about 50 years ago that ensured classical status for the dance. A visibly disappointed Raut told mediapersons that he was broken by the behaviour of the organisers who did not provide him any hospitality despite inviting him for the award.

His contribution was not also acknowledged while the international dancers' community was told about the three gurus only, lamented the 76-year-old exponent.

No consultation

Patnaik stated that the organisers did not consult them to observe the golden jubilee celebration of Jayantika Association that they had formed.

"All others have gone and both of us are alive. Should they ignore us this way?" he questioned and added that he was invited to be the moderator of the seminar on Odissi but later refused.

Governor Rameshwar Thakur, who addressed the gathering at the newly constructed Utkal Mandap open air auditorium that he inaugurated and conferred IPAP lifetime achievement awards to Raghunath Panigrahi for music and late Babulal Doshi, founder of Kala Vikash Kendra, Cuttack as promoter of Odissi posthumously.

Souvenir released

Two other awardees, scholar Sunil Kothari and dancer Sonal Mansingh, were also not present to receive the awards.

He also released a souvenir and a book on Odissi written by painter and art historian Dinanath Pathy.

Among others, chief secretary A.K.Tripathy, culture secretary Gopinath Mohanty and IPAP president Pratap Das spoke on the occasion.

Earlier during the day, culture secretary Gopinath Mohanty inaugurated the festival three hours behind the schedule that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was scheduled to inaugurate.

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