Berhampur: ‘Bhanja Samaroha’, the festival of classical Odissi dance and vocal rendition on the compositions of Kabi Samrata, captivated the audience at Mukta Mancha in Utkal Ashram, an open-air auditorium, here.
Upendra Bhanja was born in Ganjam during 1670 in Kulagarh Ghumusar zamindari, present day Kulada near Bhanjanagar,
The programme was organised by ‘Amesabu’ in collaboration with ‘Abhinaya Jagat’ on Tuesday. “The music of Upendra Bhanja is central to Odissi music, the traditional classical music of the state of Odisha and Bhanja is widely respected as one of the greatest Odissi composers of all time”, said Hrushikesh Panigrahi, the chief executive officer (CEO) of ‘Amesabu’.
This Bhanja Samaroha presented some of the crème de la crème of the Odissi fraternity. Starting with renowned danseuses of Utkalika Nrutya Anusthan (Kunjas bane kalanidhi), Mihir Dance Academy (Malli mala Shyama ku debi) and Aradhya Dance Academy (Aja dekhilire nabina bayasi bala) outshone their counterparts in tremendous body control as they performed pure dance sequences with fluid movements, intricate footwork and sculpturesque poses perfectly interwoven to create beautiful patterns much to the joy of audience who enjoyed the program till the end.
Aswini Mahapatra enthralled the audience with Bhanja composition ‘Bibhusane puspe jak anti jana’ and Upendra Bhanja Samman awardee by Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy, renowned Daskathia artist Upendra Panigrahi ‘Bishnupade Bishnu pada, e kara bheda sabada’ captivated the audience with their sonorous voice and forced the rasikas glued to their seats till the very end.
No venue could have been better than this and it was open to one and all. The stage was aesthetically designed and a beautiful shamiana covered the sitting space to save the rasikas from the chill of winter. It was surprising to see the auditorium packed till late night, despite the cold weather. The ‘Bhanja Samaroha’ left an impressive mark in the minds of the Bhanja lovers of the city through the splendid performances of the Odissi dancers and the vocalists. It seems Silk City Berhampur is experiencing a cultural renaissance.
Berhampur Mayor Sanghamitra Dalei, former VC of Khallikote Unitary University Prof Manmath Padhi, frmer HoD, History Berhampur University Prof L N Rout, and a host of other dignitaries s highlighted the contributions of Upendra Bhanja to the literature of Odisha and his immortal songs which are popular and still being recited by the common man of Odisha.
