26/09/2026
Namaskar to all esteemed Gurus, fellow disciples, artistes, scholars, practitioners, and members of the classical arts fraternity.
With profound reverence and a deep sense of collective responsibility, we, the extended family of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra’s disciples in Mumbai, in collaboration with the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, and SRJAN – Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Nrityabasa, Bhubaneswar, are coming together to commemorate the Birth Centenary of our revered Guruji through “Kelucharan–Keerti–Shatakam” (केलुचरण कीर्ति-शतकम्).
The celebrations in Mumbai are scheduled for 20th November 2026 at Veer Savarkar Auditorium, Mumbai and 21st November 2026 at NCPA, Mumbai. These two occasions are envisioned not merely as commemorative programmes, but as a collective offering of gratitude to the great master whose extraordinary vision, creative genius, and lifelong sadhana shaped the classicism of modern Odissi and carried its lyrical beauty and artistic identity from Odisha to the world.
In this spirit, we most earnestly appeal to all respected Gurus, Odissi practitioners, scholars and artistes, as well as our esteemed colleagues from other Indian classical traditions, to kindly consider keeping these two dates free from other cultural programmes, as far as possible. This humble request arises solely from our heartfelt wish that the larger artistic fraternity may come together, without conflicting engagements, to honour a maestro whose contribution transcends institutions, generations, and individual lineages.
We sincerely hope that the spirit and significance behind this request will be received with the affection and understanding with which it is being made. The centenary of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra belongs not to any one institution or group, but to the larger cultural fraternity and to everyone who values the extraordinary legacy of Indian classical dance.
It would therefore be our privilege to have all of you join us in Mumbai as we come together in remembrance, reverence, and gratitude—to celebrate a century of Guruji’s immortal legacy and offer our collective pranam to the great master whose art continues to live, breathe, and inspire through generations.
With profound respect and a humble appeal to all.
