30/07/2026
Once Upon A Dreamer
On Guru Purnima, we return to where every story at Nrityagram begins.
With a Guru.
And with a dream.
Long before there were dancers filling the studios at Nrityagram, there was GauriMa – a woman whose encounter with Odissi changed the course of her life. Under the guidance of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, she embraced a way of living through dance that would eventually become Nrityagram.
In our tradition, a Guru passes on a way of life through dance. Through the guru-shishya parampara, dance is carried from one generation to the next through shared time, daily practice, observation, conversation, and trust. It is a living inheritance, carried from one body to another.
Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra entrusted that inheritance to GauriMa.
GauriMa imagined a village where it could continue to live.
Today, Surupa Sen, Pavithra Reddy, and every teacher at Nrityagram continue to carry that inheritance forward, hour after hour, generation after generation. And with every student who enters the studio, the journey begins once again.
On this Guru Purnima, we bow to Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, to GauriMa, to Surupadi, to Pavidi, and to every Guru, teacher, and student who continues this living tradition.
Guru Purnima 2026.
