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BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, April 7, 2004: Padma Vibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra, the doyen of Odissi dance, passed away in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday following a brief illness, family sources said. He was 79. The artiste, who was instrumental in projecting Odissi dance on the world stage in a big way in the early 70s and who took the classical art form to an ethereal level, complained of uneasiness at around 11am. He was rushed to a private nursing home but was pronounced dead on arrival. He is survived by wife Laxmipriya, a son and a daughter.



Guru Kelucharan had performed all over India and abroad participating in festivals of India in the United Kingdom, United States, the erstwhile Soviet Union, Japan and Germany. He was presented the Kendriya Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1966. Honored with the Padmashree in 1972, he received the Padmabhushan in 1989 and Padma Vibhushan in 2000. The guru, assisted by his son and eminent dancer Ratikanta Mohapatra, had in 1994 set up Srijan, an organisation dedicated to train students in Odissi dance. His famous disciples include late Sanjukta Panigrahi, Kumkum Mohanty, Sonal Mansingh, Minati Mishra, Protima Bedi and Madhavi Mudgal.

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