Kelucharan Mohapatra (8 January 1926 – 7 April 2004) was a legendaryIndian classical dancer,guru, and exponent ofOdissi dance, who is credited with the revival and popularizing of this classical dance form in the 20th century.[2]He is the first person to receive thePadma Vibhushan from Odisha.[3]
A noted Sanskrit poet of India writes on thisGuru:Saango-paanga-subhangi-laasya-madhuram samteerna-nrutyaarnavam, which translates as – "Each fraction of his dancing body leads to paramount sweetness, through miraculous poses and postures. In fact, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra crossed the ocean of styles."[4]
In his youth, Kelucharan Mohapatra performedGotipua – a traditional dance form ofOdisha where young boys dress up as woman to praise LordJagannath. Later in his life he did extensive research onGotipua andMahari dance, which lead him to restructureOdissi dance. Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra was a master in Percussion instruments –Mardala andTabla, which clearly resonates in his dance compositions. He was also skilled in the traditionalPattachitra painting.
"Odissi is not a mere dance form to entertain people but to inspire and elevate. I don't actually dance but pray in compassion and the spectators say that this `form' is dancing."[8]
"The real dance must convey the feeling of undivided existence, that a spectator can feel that he is not different from the thing observed".[8]
^Sampad, Shilpi (26 January 2013)."Sun dreamer gets Padma".telegraphindia.com. Calcutta, India. Archived fromthe original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved5 February 2013.after late Odissi dancer Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra
^abc"Padma Awards"(PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved21 July 2015.
