Bhubaneswar, Aug 29: Four veteran artistes - Sharon Lowen, Keshab Chandra Rout, Dhirendranath Mallick and Mahasweta Ray - will receive the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award 2026 for their lifetime contributions to Odissi dance, music, theatre and cinema, respectively.
 

The awards, carrying a cash prize of ₹1 lakh and a citation, will be presented during the 32nd Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival, scheduled from September 5 to 9 at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar.

The festival is particularly significant this year as it coincides with the birth centenary celebrations of legendary Odissi guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.

Organised by Srjan in collaboration with Sri Sri University, the five-day festival has been curated by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, Director of Srjan and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Communication and Indic Studies at Sri Sri University.

Other Awards

The second edition of the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra ‘Kala Samman’ will honour artistes in the 40–55 age group. Violinist Agnimitra Behera and vocalist Dr Nazia Alam will receive the award, along with ₹50,000 and a citation each.

The Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra ‘Yuva Pratibha Samman’, carrying ₹25,000 and a citation, will be presented to Sushree Vrinda Chadha and Sushree Aishwariya Singhdev for Odissi dance, Dr Nikita Banawalikar for Kathak, and Soumya Ranjan Nayak for Odissi music (mardala).

Five-Day Cultural Festival

The festival will begin on September 5 with a Hindustani vocal recital by renowned singer Shubha Mudgal, accompanied by Aneesh Pradhan on tabla and Sudhir Nayak on harmonium.

On September 6, sarod maestro Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, accompanied by Satyajit Talwalkar, will perform, followed by an Odissi recital by Lipsa Satapathy. The programme will also feature Saugandhika Haranam, choreographed by the Chidakash Kalalay Centre.

The September 8 programme will include a Bharatanatyam recital by Janaki Rangarajan, followed by a flute jugalbandi by Abhiram Nanda and Srinibas Satapathy.

The festival will conclude on September 9 with the award ceremony and Mati, a production by the Srjan Ensemble inspired by a poem by eminent Odia poet Radha Mohan Gadanayak.

Choreographed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, Mati features music by Lakshmikant Palit, with the script adapted by the late Jaydev Das.

The festival celebrates the enduring legacy of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, whose contribution was instrumental in shaping and popularising Odissi as a major Indian classical dance form.