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Stage set for Dhauli Mahotsav

BHUBANESWAR: The stage is set for the three-day Dhauli Mahotsav, a national festival of dance, music and allied arts seeking peace on the earth, at the foothills of the historic Dhauli hills near here commencing on Friday. City-based the Orissa Dance Academy (ODA) founded by the well-known Odissi Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, in association with the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, Ministry of Tourism, Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkata and Orissa Tourism is hosting the fifth edition of the festival.

Addressing the media, ODA secretary and noted dancer Aruna Mohanty explained that a heritage site like Dhauli was the natural choice for hosting of the event that aims at celebrating India’s cultural heritage. “ODA has been building up an institution of performing arts in the ancient gurukul tradition at Dhauli to revive and promote various marginalized arts practices of Orissa. The annual festival would continue as a regular feature of the gurukul,” she added.

The festival this year features Odissi, Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Chhau, Ghoda Nacha, Odissi music, tala-vadya kutcheri (ensemble of percussion instruments) and Oriya theatre. This year’s prestigious Bismillah Khan Yuva Prativa Puraskar winner Odissi dancer Madhusmita Mohanty of Bhubaneswar and Kolkata-based Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Ptariva Puraskar awardee Shashwati Garai are featured in the festival while city-based Suravi Odissi dance institution would have group presentation. Kuchipudi exponent Jaikishore Mosalikanti of Chennai and Kathak exponent Rajasri Shirke of Mumbai are also scheduled to perform.

Eminent dance scholar Dhirendra Nath Patnaik would be conferred the Buddha Samman-2008 for his instituted by the ODA, Mohanty announced.

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