Anant Mohapatra and Kumkum Mohanty to receive the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi highest honour

Bhubaneswar:27/8/21:The Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi under the Odia Language, Literature, and Culture Department on Friday announced various awards for the years 2019 and 2020.

Doyen of Odia theatre Anant Mahapatra and acclaimed Odissi dancer and guru Kumkum Mohanty will receive the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi’s highest honour- Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Samman – for 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Mahapatra was the force behind the Theatre in Motion, and the founder/director of Srujani, the group theatre movement, which he founded in 1964.

He founded the Utkal Rangamanch Trust to give a fillip to professional theatre in Odisha after the old theatre companies of the early ’50s closed down in the ’70s.

Mahapatra has directed and acted in over 100 plays and has also worked in film, television and radio.

Kumkum Mohanty was one of the early disciples of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. She joined Indian Postal Service in 1970 and left the field of dance. While on deputation to Odisha, she established Odissi Research Centre. In collaboration with Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Sanjukta Panigrahi, and music and Sanskrit scholars, she brought out a manual for Odissi: The Odissi Dance Path Finder, which included basic stances, movements and mudras of Odissi.

The awards for artists excelling in their respective fields in different categories, including music, dance and drama, was announced on Friday.

The award ceremony will be held at the Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar at 4.30 pm on August 30, 2021, stated a press release issued by Prabodh Rath, Secretary of Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi.

List Of Awardees for 2019

Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Samman: Anant Mahapatra (Acting & Direction)

Akademi Awards:

Acting (2 nos.) Nabakishore Acharya, Sakhigopal, Puri & Mamata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar
Playwright: Sudhakar Nanda, Bhadrak
Direction: Harihar Mishra, Bargarh
Theatre Art (Manchakala): Prabhas Chandra Mishra, Bhawanipatna
Folk music (Loka Sangeet): Radhashyam Sahusharma, Ganjam
Lokabadya: Shankar Pradhan, Balangir
Folk Dance (Lokanrutya): Kalucharan Sahu, Bhanjanagar, Ganjam
Folk play (Lokanatya): Karna Gouda, Koraput
Instrumental music (Anaddha Tala) for Mardala: Jagannath Kuanr, Bhubaneswar
Instrumental music (String instrument) for Violin: Kailash Patra, Cuttack
Odissi Dance: Ratikanta Mohapatra, Bhubaneswar
Odisha vocal music: Chandramani Lenka, Puri
Sunanda Samman (Hindusthani Vocal Music): Dr. Raghunath Sahu, Bhubaneswar
Sugam Sangeet: Tansen Singh, Bhubaneswar
Sarada Prasanna Samman (Gitikabita): Binod Ku Pasayat, Sambalpur

For the year 2020:

Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Samman: Smt. Kumkum Mohanty, Odissi Dance

Akademi Awards:

Acting (2 nos): Sushila Nayar, Bargarh and Bijay Ku Pattnaik, Gangpur, Ganjam
Playwright (Natyarachana): Bhaskar Ch Mohapatra, Rourkela
Direction: Subodh Pattnaik, Bhubaneswar
Stage art (Manchakala): Prabhat Maharana, Bhubaneswar
Folk music (Loka Sangeet): Navin Kanhar, Balangir
Lokabadya: Kishore Ch. Pradhan, Puri
Folk Dance (Lokanrutya): Narayan Maharana, Bhanjanagar, Ganjam
Lokanatya: Nirmala Ch Rout, Bhadrak
Instrumental music (Ananddha Badya) for Tabla: Sarat Ku Pani, Bhubaneswar
Instrumental music (Sushira Badya) for Flute: Nityananda Mohapatra, Kamakhyanagar, Dhenkanal
Odissi Dance: Gajendra Panda, Ganjam
Odissi Vocal music: Raghunath Mohapatra, Paralakhemundi, Gajapati
Sunanda Samman (Hindusthani Vocal music): Bandita Ray, Cuttack
Sugam Sangeet: Bibhudhendra Das, Bhubaneswar
Sarada Prasanna Samman (Gitikabita): Alekh Padhihari, Bhubaneswar