Shri Kelucharan Mohapatra

This outstanding representative of India's Classical Music and well known pioneer associated with the recreation of its Orissan 'Bani' was born in 1926 in a family of Patachitrakars. Early in life, he joined the Rasila troupe of Shri Mohan Sunder Dev Goswami. He was groomed as a dancer at Annapurna Theatre by Shri Pankaj Charan Das and Shri Dayal Saran. He also mastered various percussion instruments, especially the Pakhawaj. He joined Kala Vikas Kendra, Cuttack in 1956. A dedicated teacher and prolific creator, Shri Kelucharan Mohapatra has also created a number of dance compositions extending the technique and repertoire of the Odissi style.He was also associated with the Odissi research centre, Bhubaneshwar, and has now set up his own institue, Srijan in Bhubaneshwar.

Shri Kelucharan Mohapatra has many laurels to his name, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award(1969), the Padma Shri (1972), the Padma Bhushan(1988), the Kalidaas Samman(1989) and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship(1991).