GKCM Award Festival 2026: The 32nd Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (GKCM) Award Festival witnessed a historic presentation on its third evening as Dr. Piyal Bhattacharya’s Chidakash Kalalay–Centre of Art and Divinity brought the ancient Marganatya tradition to life with the Sanskrit play Saugandhikaharanam at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar.
Organised by Srjan–Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Nrityabasa in collaboration with Sri Sri University (SSU), Cuttack, the five-day festival continued its celebration of India’s classical arts with an evening dedicated to the revival of Bharata Muni’s ancient Natya tradition. The evening marked what was described as Odisha’s first-ever experience of Marganatya, a revival of the ancient Marga tradition of Natya described in Bharata Muni’s Natyashastra.
Saugandhikaharanam was presented under the direction of Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee, Tagore National Scholar and Mahamahopadhyay Dr. Piyal Bhattacharya. Known for his work in reconstructing ancient instruments, including the Vakra Veena and Sage Bharata’s Kutapa orchestra, Dr. Bhattacharya presented the production in accordance with the Nata-Dharma Parampara. The live music was composed by Sayak Mitra.
Based on Bhima’s quest for the celestial Saugandhika flowers to fulfil Draupadi’s wish, the play depicted his encounter with Hanuman in the Gandhamadana forest. Hanuman, appearing as an aged monkey, humbled Bhima’s pride and taught him the deeper meaning of restraint, humility and true strength.
The production featured Sayak Mitra as Hanuman, Inderpal Singh as Bhima, Subhendu Ghosh as Kubera and a young monkey, Amrita Dutta as an Apsara and young monkey, and Nikhil Bora as Saugandhikapushpa. Amrita Adhikary, Srijani Biswas, Moumita Dhar and Smriti Majumder portrayed the Apsaras.
The performers were supported by the Kutapa orchestra, featuring Dr. Piyal Bhattacharya on Mizhavu, Durba Sinha Roychowdhury as vocalist, Koushik Das on Maardangik/Mridangam, Rick Mukherjee on flute, Avijit Ray on Dhrupadi Rabab, Khokan Das on Pataha and Rudrarup Mukhopadhyaya as Taal Dharaka.
The production was based on the 14th-century Rupaka by Shri Vishwanatha Kaviraja, with Hindi poetry by Raj Bendre and overall direction by Dr. Piyal Bhattacharya.
The presentation stood out for its meticulous use of classical languages, symbolic stage props, traditional musical instruments and the ancient Kutapa orchestra. Combining nritta, geeta, vadya and abhinaya, the actor-centric production created a distinctive sensory and spiritual experience for the audience.
Lighting for the performance was designed and executed by Dinesh Poddar (Prakasha), with Subhash Das assisting. The technical production was supported by Chief Sound Engineer C. Anand Krishna, while Bharath Krishna handled sound engineering and graphic design. The festival’s creative lighting design and operation were managed by Debiprasad Mishra and D. Dhilip Kumar. The proceedings were conducted by Dr. Mrutyunjaya Rath.
The fourth evening of the festival will feature a solo Bharatanatyam recital by acclaimed dancer Dr. Janaki Rangarajan, followed by a flute jugalbandi by Abhiram Nanda and Srinibas Satapathy, accompanied by Yashwant Vaishnav on tabla.
The 32nd GKCM Award Festival 2026 is being conducted under the vision and direction of Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, with programme execution by Debiprasad Mishra. The festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and the Department of Odia Language, Literature & Culture, Government of Odisha.
