Bhubaneswar, Sept. 10: A series of scintillating performances was the highlight on the final day at the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award festival.

Last evening, the fest concluded at Rabindra Mandap. The cultural event showcased famous artistes from across the country, and many Odia artistes were also felicitated for their lifetime contribution.

The artistes of Srjan, a cultural group, presented new Odissi compositions. Namami Gange from the mythological epic Bhagabata Puran depicts the tale of the Ganga river coming down to Earth after Lord Shiv tied her in his lock. The second part of the recital portrays how Ganga has come to purify souls on Earth but instead becomes impure due to the people's negligence.

Festival organiser Ratikanta Mohapatra, who is also Kelucharan's son, had choreographed the recital that received praise from connoisseurs of classical dance. Lakshmikant Palit composed the music for the sequence, while Nityananda Misra wrote the script and Tarakanta Panda did the music arrangement. Aditya Mahapatra narrated the script.

Apart from the group performance, the previous days of the fest featured artistes such as Kumar Bose, who captivated the art lovers in the city with his magical solo tabla compositions. Mumbai-based classical fusion band Samarpan also received great response from the audience.

"The fusion group's performance was awe inspiring. Young musicians of the band showed great energy," said Pallavi Das, an Odissi dancer.

The concluding day also included the award ceremony, in which culture minister Ashok Panda gave away the Kelucharan Mohapatra Awards to music director Shantanu Mohapatra and Odissi dance guru Giridhari Nayak. This was the 21st edition of the festival.

"Srjan was founded by my father and guru, and we are committed to carry forward his legacy by continuing to take Odissi to every corner of the globe with all its pristine glory and purity. The fest is a step towards that and also to promote classical dance," said Ratikanta.