Tribute to the Father of Odissi Dance Guru Pankaj Charan Das

TNI Bureau:   During mid-1940s, Guru Pankaj Charan Das was the first man who created and choreographed the Odissi dance form and pioneered to get it classical status.

He was the guru of all gurus who credited for the revival of Odissi Dance. He is referred as ‘adi guru’ of Odissi and known as the ‘Father of Odissi Dance’.

He taught famous Gurus of Odissi dance World- Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Guru Deba Prasad Das and Guru Mayadhar Raut who were responsible for teaching and spreading of Odissi Dance not only in India but throughout the world.

Under his able guidance and direct training, Sanjukta Panigrahi, Kumkum Mohanty, Minati Mishra, Priyambada Mohanty, Guru Gangadhar Pradhan and Yamini Krishnamurthy all grew up to be eminent Odissi exponent and teacher.

Guru Pankaj Charan Das was born on March 17, 1925 at Mati Mandap Sahi in Puri. Remembering this legendary Odissi Dance maestro, we pay our richest tribute on his birth anniversary, today.

Pankaj Charan was the adopted son of a mahari (temple dancer), and he learnt the art of devotional movement from her from very early age. At the age of six, his father died and he had to face many hardships.

Later, he joined in the Theatre group named Annapurna-B as an actor and became a dance director there for his unique dance style and choreography knowledge. His dance was laden with bhakti rasa and dedicated to lord Jagannath.

Guru Pankaj Charan Das taught at the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya (Odisha’s premiere college of performing arts), Bhubaneswar for more than twenty years and retired as the principal.

For his outstanding contribution to the field of performing arts, he was conferred with prestigious Padmashree and both National and State Sangeet Natak Akademi award. He died on June 11, 2003 in Bhubaneswar.