Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (January 8, 1926 - April 7, 2004) was a dancer, guru and proponent of Odissi dance. January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Odissi (or Orissi) is the traditional style of dance which originated in the temples of the state of Orissa in Eastern India, where it was performed by the devadasis. ...

Kelucharan Mohapatra was born in Raghurajpur, a village near the temple town of Puri, Orissa, India. He learnt to paint, sculpt and play the khol drum at an early age. He started playing in folk theatre groups and Gotipua troupes from the age of nine. He married dancer Laxmi Priya with whom he often co-acted. Puri can mean: Puri, a city in the Indian state of Orissa, which is famous for the Jagannath temple and the serene beaches located there . ... Orissa (2001 provisional pop. ... The khol is a terracotta two-sided drum used in northern and eastern India for accompaniment with devotional music. ...

In 1994, he set up "Srjan", an organisation dedicated to train students in Odissi dance.

He trained renowned Odissi dancers like Sanjukta Panigrahi, Kumkum Mohanty, Sonal Mansingh, Protima Bedi, Jhelum Paranjape, Priyambada Mohanty, Minati Mishra, Sharon Lowen and Madhavi Mudgal as well as Bharatanatyam dancers like Yamini Krishnamurthy. Sanjukta Panigrahi, born on 24th August 1944 (Berhampur, Ganjam District, Orissa state), is an eminent Odissi dancer of India. ... Sharon Lowen is a renowned Odissi dancer, trained since 1975 by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. ... Bharatanatyam (also spelled Bharathanatyam, Bharatnatyam or Bharata Natyam) is a classical dance form originating in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. ...

The Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award was instituted in 1995 in his honour. It is an annual award and is given to artists who have contributed to arts.

He kept healthy to his last days and kept performing despite a heart surgery. He died in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa. Bhubaneswarଭୂବନେଶ୍୊଒଍୅ଵର is the capital of the state of Orissa (ancient Kalinga). ...

Awards

• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, 1966
• Padma Shri, 1972
• Padma Bhushan, 1989
• Padma Vibhushan, 2000
• Kalidas Samman from Madhya Pradesh government

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Padma Bhushan is an Indian civilian decoration established on January 2, 1954 by the President of India. ... The Padma Vibhushan is Indias second highest civilian honour. ...

External link

• Kelucharan Mohapatra profile from www.odissidance.com