Subikash Mukherjee leads an evening of Odissi dance in Kolkata

An evening of rhythm and devotion unfolded at Rabindra Sadan recently, as Sankalpa Nrityayan presented its annual gala under the vision and direction of Odissi exponent Subikash Mukherjee where the opening performance of Vande Mataram by the students set a graceful tone followed by Gurupranam led by Guru Ratikanta Mahapatra the celebrated Odissi guru and son of Padma Vibhushan Kelucharan Mahapatra who was welcomed along with other distinguished guests Tapati Chowdhury, Sutapa Talukdar, Alokananda Roy, Pramita Mallick and Gauri Basu before the stage once again came alive with vibrant Odissi presentations by the young dancers each piece carrying the elegance and discipline of tradition while the first half reached its peak with Guru Mahapatra’s solo Deen Bandhu that combined technical mastery with spiritual depth holding the audience spellbound.The second half unveiled the dance drama Tuhu Mamo Madhav where the eternal love of Radha and Krishna was reimagined as devotion weaving together Jayadeva’s Geet Govinda and Rabindranath Tagore’s Bhanusingher Padabali into a seamless dialogue of poetry music and movement conceptualised and choreographed by Subikash Mukherjee with script by Reshmi Roy and performed by the senior dancers of Sankalpa Nrityayan who brought sincerity and energy to the stage the production became the evening’s heart and speaking after the show Subikash Mukherjee reflected that it was an honour to have Guru Ratikanta Mahapatra present at the gala and an even greater joy to perform alongside him and the students a sentiment that summed up the spirit of the celebration where tradition and innovation stood together in harmony.