The 6th International Trinetra Award Festival-2026 honoured classical dance exponents, young artistes, and cultural figures at Utkala Rangamancha in Bhubaneswar
OdishaPlus Bureau
The 6th International Trinetra Award Festival-2026, organised in memory of eminent Odissi guru Dr. Debaprasad Das, was held at Utkala Rangamancha of the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre in Bhubaneswar on Friday. The day-long event featured performances in classical and folk-dance forms, music recitals and an award ceremony recognising established artistes and emerging talent.
Organised by Trinetra Kala Kunja in association with the Department of Odia Language, Literature and Culture, Government of Odisha, the festival brought together eminent gurus, young artistes and cultural personalities from different parts of India and abroad.
The inaugural session was attended by former ITO Ram Narayan Sathpathy and eminent Odissi gurus Bidushi Minakhi Behera, Bidushi Chapala Mishra, Guru Dr. Manoj Behera and Guru Dr. Gajendra Kumar Panda. Performances during the inaugural and afternoon sessions included solo, duet and group Odissi presentations, alongside Sambalpuri folk dances by young artistes. An Odissi performance by Yanhai from China was also part of the programme.
The valedictory session, which began at 6 pm, was attended by Jajpur MP Rabi Narayan Behera, former Odisha BJP vice-president Golak Prasad Mohapatra, Odisha International Human Rights State Ambassador Mihir Kumar Samal, social worker and former Army officer Sishir Kumar Acharya, Kabichandra Academy Senior Research Fellow Tirthananda Mohanty, Odissi gurus Dr. Gajendra Kumar Panda and Bidushi Muktilata Pal, and Tetrahedron Group of Institutes Chairman Tridev Behera. The session commenced with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp.
The evening programme also featured the presentation of the International Trinetra Awards. The 2026 International Trinetra Award was conferred on Dr. Saraswati Rajathesh of Bengaluru, a Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam exponent; Prof. Dr. Vijaya Sharma of Bhopal, a Kathak exponent; and Rabindra Kumar Sahu of Kataka, an educationist and philanthropist.
The International Trinetra Yuva Pratibha Award was presented to ghazal singer Anshika Chauhan of Gwalior and young Odissi dancers Chaithra Lakshminarayan of Bengaluru, Abhijit Deb of Bhubaneswar and Pramila Patnaik of Brahmapur. The International Trinetra Sishu Pratibha Award was given to child dancers Sulagna Patnaik, Aishya Aradhana and Shreyansi Swain.
The award ceremony was followed by performances by the recipients. Chaithra Lakshminarayan and Abhijit Deb presented solo Odissi recitals, while Anshika Chauhan performed ghazals and bhajans. Dr. Saraswati Rajathesh presented Bharatanatyam and Prof. Dr. Vijaya Sharma performed Kathak. A group Odissi presentation by Nrutyapuri, featuring Abhijit Deb, Meghambari Pradhan and Daizy Sharma, was also staged. Disciples of Trinetra Kala Kunja presented group Odissi, folk dance and Kali dance performances.
The festival was directed by Guru Ramakanta Sahoo, founder and director of Trinetra Kala Kunja. Master Prabhutosh Panda, Assistant Director, Tridhara, and Mokshada Tripathy coordinated the programme, which was compered by Prof. Punyadarshan Sahu.