Anchor Srinivas Ghatuary. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 4: Every time the audience breaks into applause for artistes at cultural programmes in the city, there is as much cheer for compère Srinivas Ghatuary. Ghatuary, who is fondly called Milan, is the most popular host for classical music and dance programmes in town, having added a new dimension to the art of anchoring shows.

Hailing from a sevayat or servitor family of Lord Jagannath in Puri, Milan is a versatile artiste. Be it the hereditary seva or service of preparing and applying sandalwood paste on Lord Jagannath or dancing Odissi or even being a responsible engineer, the youngster gives his best to everything he does.

“Belonging to a servitor family has been a blessing. My spiritual inclination motivated me to learn Odissi dance,” said Milan, who has been trained in the dance form since the age of five.

The ace dancer was also a child artiste and host for children’s shows of the State Institute of Education Technology and Doordarshan. His experience added to the confidence and flair required to present programmes in front of a live audience.

“After Class X, I moved to Bhubaneswar mostly to learn Odissi at Srjan where I was groomed under Ratikant Mohapatra. At the same time, I also pursued a diploma and then an engineering degree at KIIT. Meanwhile, I kept getting offers to host shows for cultural programmes. The experience during childhood and a flair for poetry helped me take up the offers,” said Milan, who is an assistant manager at the state government’s Police Housing Corporation. As an emcee, Milan wins over the audience with his poetic language and impressive introductions to the artiste on stage.

“I believe that the compère is not appreciated enough though he or she is entrusted with the responsibility of creating the right ambience for the audience to be receptive to the performer. The announcement makes the audience look forward to the performance,” he said. “I never prepare a script. It is better to think and speak impromptu,” said Milan.

The 25-year-old has hosted shows featuring big names such as Birju Maharaj, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Kelucharan Mohapatra, Amitabh Bachchan and many more.

“The most memorable moment for me as a host was when Jagjit Singh said to the audience during a programme that I had defined ghazals the perfect way while announcing his performance. ‘Milan understands the magic of ghazal. He is one of the best hosts I have seen,’ he had said,” said Milan.

He will host the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival from Wednesday that will feature actress and dancer Vaijayanthi Mala.