Konark Festival 2012 Concludes

TNI Bureau: It was the valedictory evening of the five day long Konark Festival 2012 organised by Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha. The artistes in the tradition of classical Kathak and Odissi dance exhibited their excellence to the thundering applause of the mesmerized viewers.

India’s leading Kathak dancer Dr. Malabika Mitra and her co-artistes from Shibpur Onkar Dances and Music Centre, Kolkata started their programme with Surya Vandana an invocatory dance in praise of the Sun God who is the source of energy, light and life. Next item was Samannay a coordinated dance in the rhythmic Kathak style, followed by Krishna Katha, depicting different activities of Lord Krishna.

Tandava-Lasya was the next vibrating presentation of Dr. Mitra and her troupe wherein the vigorous masculine dance of the cosmic dancer Shiva and the graceful feminine dance of Goddess Parvati were juxtaposed. Nache Sangeeta was the final presentation in Kathak style which expressed the mood of Bhupali Ragini symbolizing a Birahini Nayika.

The concluding dance of the evening was a Dance Drama in Odissi style presented by the artistes from Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre and Utkal University of Culture, Bhubaneswar. Entitled, Ananga Ranga it was a serene and scintillating presentation based on composition of champu of the medieval poet Baladev Rath and the poet Kalicharan Pattanaik.

The dance ballet celebrated eroticism, passion and love between Radha and Krishna. With the soul-stirring music composition of Prof Guru Ramahari Das and rhythm composition by noted Mardal Guru Dhaneswar Swain and Sachidananda Das, the dancers created illusion of the dancing sculptures engraved in the walls of Konark temple. The Dance choreography was made by Guru Durga Charan Ranabir, Guru Naba Kishore Mishra and Guru Lingaraj Swain. The music arrangement along with vocal support was rendered by Guru Keshab Chandra Rout and Guru Sukanta Kumar Kundu.

The dance found a vivid expression on the canvas of the noted painter Baladev Maharatha. Dr. Mrutyunjaya Rath and Sadhana Srivastav compered in the programme which marked the presence of Principal Secretary Shri Ashok Kumar Tripathy, Secretary, Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Chittaranjan Mallia and other officials.