Odissi dancers Sharmila Biswas and Aruna Mohanty perform at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Aug.19: The Odissi dance fraternity came together to pay their homage to late danseuse Sanjukta Panigrahi.

The Bhubaneswar Music Circle organised a dance concert titled “Sanjukta Panigrahi Memorial Dance Festival 2013” yesterday evening at Rabindra Mandap, where solo performances by eminent danseuses Aruna Mohanty and Sharmila Biswas were presented.

The show started with an innovative dance by the Calcutta-based Biswas, who presented Trikayee dedicated to Sanjukta Panigrahi and her famous musician husband Raghunath Panigrahi. The composition explored the unison of music, rhythm and dance.

City-based dance guru Aruna Mohanty’s first presentation Bhumisuta was a soul-stirring tale of Sita. Her dance portrayed various stages of Sita’s life.

Biswas dedicated the following piece to Sanjukta, affectionately known as Sanju apa. The rendition was not only a unique presentation of the Ramayan, but also an affection-evoking portrayal on motherhood.

In the sequence, Yashoda’s story, mother Yashoda is telling stories to her son Krishna so that her mischievous son goes to sleep.

Little Krishna discards many stories, but the tales of prince Ram and princess Sita — such as the challenges they face and Sita’s abduction by Ravan — interests him.

He not only listens intently, but also throws a volley of questions, and though asleep by the end, at the mention of Ravan, demands for his bow and arrow to defeat the evil.

The mother learns that her son is an avatar of Vishnu. However, she checks if any one overheard her boy, lest he will have to face challenges as a divine hero. She is just a mother and wants her son safe.

The danseuse’s gestures of a mother were natural and though there was no backdrop or stage design, the effortless performance took the audience to the mythological times.

The concluding sequence by Mohanty showcased a novel composition that told the story of Sanjukta. Poetry by Kedar Mishra and a myriad emotions displayed by Mohanty, made it a memorable experience for the audience.

Musicians pandit Madhup Mudgal, Bijaya Kumar Barik, Rupak Parida, Agnimitra Behera, Preeta Ranjan Swain and vocalists Rajendra Swain, Srijan Chatterjee brought the dance compositions alive.

Several renowned personalities such as musician Prafulla Kar and veteran film personality Sarat Pujari attended the concert that marked Sanjukta’s birth anniversary on August 24.

“She may not be with us physically, but her immense contribution in making Odissi popular throughout the globe will always inspire us,” said danseuse Mohanty.