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Sanjukta Birala Prativa Samman for Birju Maharaj

BHUBANESWAR: Kathak’s living legend Birju Maharaj would be conferred the ‘Sanjukta Birala Prativa (rare talent) Samman’ for 2008 during the forthcoming 23rd annual Konark Dance and Music festival at Konark Natya Mandap in Konark from February 19 to 21. The award has been instituted in memory of late legendary Odissi danseuse Sanjukta Panigrahi.

Briefing mediapersons about the three-day event, founder-director of the festival Padmashri Gangadhar Pradhan announced that it would be a rare honour for the State to have a stalwart like Birju Maharaj attending the festival with his prime disciple and famed danseuse Saswati Sen performing with her troupe during the concluding evening.

The festival would kick off on the specially designed Konark Natya Mandap on Tuesday evening with Guru Gangadhar Pradhan’s well-known Orissa Dance Academy presenting group Odissi dance.

Mumbai-based Bharat Natyam dancer Sandhya Punecha and the Gotipua dancers of the Natya Mandap would also have group presentations during the evening while Kolkata’s tabla player Mallar Ghosh would represent the music segment.

Satvik veena artiste Salil Bhatt from Jaipur, son of the illustrious Rudra veena exponent Viswa Mohan Bhatt, would be the star attraction on Wednesday. Hyderabad-based young Kuchipudi dancer P.B.Pallavi would perform apart from an Odissi duet presentation by the dancer couple Manoranjan and Minati Pradhan. Local artistes would also present the traditional ‘Radha Prem Leela’. The Kathak recital by Birju Maharaj and Saswati Sen apart, the concluding evening would feature the budding and brilliant vocalist Nazia Alam of Bhubaneswar besides the Ranapa and Chadheiya folk dances of Ganjam.

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