CULTURE
Tapestry of classicism
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BIBHUTI MISHRA comments on the events of the Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra Award Festival held in Bhubaneshwar recently.
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THE HINDU PHOTO LIBRARY
THE Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award evokes extreme reactions: on the one hand are artistes like Pandit Jasraj and Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt who feel that this is a trailblazer, on the other are others like the late Guru Pankaj Charan Das, guru of Kelucharan, who did not accept the award in 1999 presumably because it was an award instituted in the name of his disciple.
In the field of art and culture, few reach the top and even fewer spare a thought for their lesser brethren. However, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, the living legend of Odissi, is a refreshing exception. "I was a labourer in a betel farm once. I was lucky that my talents got recognised," says the modest Guru aware that others have not had such luck.
Thus when his dancer-son Ratikanta Mohapatra — Director, Srjan, the dance institution founded by Guru Kelucharan — mooted the idea of an award for artistes past their prime, the Guru was more than willing. But the award had no government or private support and had to be arranged from his resources. So when it was instituted in 1995 the award was Rs. 10,000; it was made Rs. 25,000 in 2000.The award is given in four fields — dance, music, theatre and cinema, all of which Guru Kelucharan was associated with in his long career.
Over the years not only have a number of veterans in these fields in Orissa been honoured with this award but a host of celebrities have expressed their solidarity by being associated with the award festival and performing on the occasion — from Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Jasraj, Kadri Gopalnath, Girija Devi, Pandit Birju Maharaj and Shubha Mudgal to Shatrughan Sinha, Hema Malini and Aparna Sen.
This year, the award went to septuagenarian Hemanta Das, the redoubtable thespian of Oriya cinema. The award ceremony was held on September 21, but the festival was spread over three days from September 19-21.The cultural programmes in the evenings were a tapestry of Indian classical dance and music. The opening performance was a Kathak recital by Shama Bhate and artistes of "Nad-roop" of Pune. Then Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt Bhatt took over. The melody of the mohan veena in the expert hands of Pandit Bhatt accompanied on the tabla by the brilliant Pandit Anindo Chatterjee filled the Rabindra Mandap. By the time he ended with a soothing lullaby, the audience had experienced the kind of music that they were not to forget in a hurry.
The second evening featured an Odissi presentation by Hema Malini's daughters — Esha and Ahana Deol. The programme that drew the glamour-struck crowd was the weakest link in the cultural show. The quality of Odissi was poor and the performers, especially Ahana who did not seem to have the basic angasuddhi, perhaps did not deserve such a prestigious stage but for the glamour factor.
Another strange factor was scheduling the concert of Pandit Rajan and Pandit Sajan Mishra after the dance. The concert of Mishra brothers, outstanding exponents of Banaras gharana, was quite short in stark contrast to the prolonged, but indifferent, Odissi. They began with an excellent delineation of raag Bihag with Sajan Mishra's taans ably complementing the masterly exposition of the raag by Rajan Mishra. Their concluding item, a Nanak bhajan, was rich in content and intense in rendering. A qawali performance by Ghulam Hussain Niyazi brothers was next. Young Rupan Sarkar, learning Hindustani vocal under Girija Devi, proved her mettle as the legendary singer's shishya. The clarity and strength of her voice gave the raag Yaman Kalyan rendering a gratifying appeal. Though her tappa could not rise above the average, she made it up with moving rendering of thumri, kajri and bhajan.
As usual, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, his son Ratikanta, daughter-in-law Sujata and the artistes of Srjan presented an Odissi recital at the end. Sujata came up with the group performance "Navadurga" and later teamed up with husband Ratikanta in "Chudamani pradhan". But the maestro stole the show presenting a solo abhinaya piece "pashyati disi disi" from Jayadeva's "Geetagovinda". His performance, even when he is pushing 80, was as much a testimony to his status and dedication as this award is to his stature as a great human being.
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