Organised by Tridhara with the Odisha Government, the festival honoured seven artistes for their contributions to Odissi, Kathak, Kuchipudi and Prahallad Natak, alongside acclaimed music performances
OdishaPlus Bureau
The 20th Guru Debaprasad Award Festival, organised by Tridhara in association with the Department of Odia Language, Literature and Culture, Government of Odisha, concluded in Bhubaneswar on Saturday with the presentation of awards and performances in Kathak and violin.
The festival commemorated the legacy of Guru Debaprasad Das, a pioneering figure in Odissi dance and the founder of Tridhara. The concluding ceremony was attended by Aska MP Anita Subhadarshini, Ekamra MLA Babu Singh, former Member of the Board of Revenue Ashok Kumar Tripathy, Tridhara president Suresh Chandra Panda, working president Simanchal Panda and director Guru Dr Gajendra Kumar Panda.
The Guru Debaprasad Lifetime Achievement Award 2026 was conferred on Padma Shri Guru Ramlal Baret of Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, for his contribution to Kathak, and Padma Shri Guru Simanchala Patra of Ganjam, Odisha, for his contribution to Prahallad Natak.
Dr Snehaprava Samantaray of Bhubaneswar received the Guru Debaprasad Award 2026 for her contribution to Odissi dance. The Guru Debaprasad Yuva Prativa Awards were presented to Guru Raju of Bengaluru for Kuchipudi and Mokshada Tripathy of Cuttack for Odissi. The Guru Debaprasad Sishu Prativa Awards recognised young Odissi dancers Dibyashree Kar of Bhubaneswar and Swapnarani Panigrahi of Paralakhemundi.
Following the award presentation, Kathak exponent Pt Bhupendra Baret performed a solo recital. The festival concluded with a violin recital by Grammy Award-winning musician Pt L. Shankar, accompanied by tabla artiste Pt Prosenjit Poddar.
The second evening of the festival featured a Kuchipudi solo recital by Guru Raju, an eminent young Kuchipudi artiste, followed by Shaam-e-Ghazal, a musical presentation by ghazal singer Pt Chandan Dass. The programme was attended by Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai; former Member of the Board of Revenue Ashok Kumar Tripathy; Tridhara President Suresh Chandra Panda; Tridhara Working President Simanchal Panda; and Tridhara Director Guru Dr Gajendra Kumar Panda.
While Raju’s performance showcased the expressive movements, rhythmic patterns and storytelling traditions of Kuchipudi, Chandan Dass presented ghazals marked by lyrical poetry and melodic expression.
The festival featured performances across classical dance and music traditions, bringing together established artistes and emerging performers. The programmes were coordinated by Guru Dr Gajendra Kumar Panda, Rina Panda, Ashutosh Panda and Prabhutosh Panda, with Dr Mrutunjaya Rath anchoring the events.
