Kelucharan Mohapatra (8 January 1926 – 7 April 2004) was a legendary Indian classical dancer,

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

, and exponent of Odissi dance, who is credited with the revival and popularizing of this classical dance form in the 20th century. He is the first person to receive the Padma Vibhushan from Odisha. A noted Sanskrit poet of India writes on this ''Guru'': ''Saango-paanga-subhangi-laasya-madhuram samteerna-nrutyaarnavam'', which translates as – "Each fraction of his dancing body leads to paramount sweetness, through miraculous poses and postures. In fact, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra crossed the ocean of styles."

Early life and history

In his youth, Kelucharan Mohapatra performed

Gotipua ''Gotipua'' (Odia language, Odia- ଗୋଟିପୁଅ, pronounced ''goṭipuå'') is a traditional dance form in the state of Odisha, India, and the precursor of Odissi classical dance. It has been performed in Orissa for centuries by young ...

– a traditional dance form of

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

where young boys dress up as woman to praise Lord

Jagannath Jagannath (; formerly ) is a Hindu deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India as part of a triad along with (Krishna's) brother Balabhadra, and sister, Subhadra. Jagannath, within Odia Hinduism, is the supreme god, '' Purushot ...

. Later in his life he did extensive research on

and Mahari dance, which lead him to restructure Odissi dance. Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra was a master in Percussion instruments – Mardala and Tabla, which clearly resonates in his dance compositions. He was also skilled in the traditional

Pattachitra Patachitra or Pattachitra is a general term for traditional, cloth-based scroll painting, based in the eastern Indian States and territories of India, states of Odisha, and West Bengal as well as parts of Bangladesh. Patachitra art form is known ...

painting. Kelucharan Mohapatra along with his wife, Laxmipriya Mohapatra, herself a dancer, and their son Ratikant Mohapatra built Srjan in 1993. Kelucharan Mohapatra was conferred a Doctorate by the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal in 1981.

Disciples

Some notable disciples include * Sanjukta Panigrahi * Kumkum Mohanty * Madhavi Mudgal * Sonal Mansingh *Debi Basu * Protima Bedi * Jhelum Paranjape * Ratikant Mohapatra * Sharmila Biswas * Sujata Mohapatra * Sharon Lowen * Shubhada Varadkar *Daksha Mashruwala.

Awards

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

, 1966 *

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, 1974 * Padma Bhushan, 1988 * Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, 1991 * Padma Vibhushan, 2000 * Kalidas Samman from

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

government

Quotes made by Kelucharan Mohapatra

* "Odissi is not a mere dance form to entertain people but to inspire and elevate. I don't actually dance but pray in compassion and the spectators say that this `form' is dancing." * "The real dance must convey the feeling of undivided existence, that a spectator can feel that he is not different from the thing observed".

References

External links