It was a welcome gesture on behalf of the Odissi Dancers’ Forum of Calcutta to organise Sraddhanjali ? a homage to the late Odissi maestro, Kelucharan Mahapatra, at a packed-to-capacity Gyan Manch on August 14. Barring a few, most of the dance numbers were mediocre, and lackadaisical in their presentation.

The programme started off with the screening of Mahapatra’s dance. Durgastuti by Nandini Ghoshal after that was a delight to watch. Aparupa Chatterjee excelled in Shankaravaranam palla-vi, a group choreography showcased by the students of Poushali Mukherjee. Rajiv Bhattacharya and Enakshi Das in Kalyan pallavi were lyrical and authentic. Rina Jana, a talented dancer, revealed her grasp of grammar and power of imagination in the intricate composition of Hamsadhwani pallavi. However, Kuruyadunandana, by Dipanwita Roy was a disaster. Sutapa Talukdar’s students were innovative, while Kakoli Bose was trim and tidy in Behag pallavi.

The concluding item by Ratikanta Mahapatra (in picture) and Sujata Mahapatra (Kelucharan’s son and daughter-in-law respectively) was Jatayu Moksha from Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas. It was an outstanding symphony of the requisite purity of body movements and subtle expressions.