After a long hiatus & break from Odissi, I found some time to show some love to this website. As you all can guess we run wonderful drupal to power this site. I upgraded to Drupal 6.2 & as a result things could have been broken. Please let me know if u see anything.

Smitalay organises ‘SAMSMARANAM’, a tribute to Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, the epochal Odissi dancer. Guruji’s legacy still continues in the form of his countless students who strive to popularize Odissi in India and around the world.

This year’s edition of ‘SAMSMARANAM’ will see Kumkum Lal from Delhi make a presentation of traditional Odissi. Also, Ratikant and Sujata Mohapatra, along with a few other artistes from Srjan, Bhubaneswar, will present some innovative pieces choreographed using Odissi vocabulary by Ratikant Mohapatra.

Donor passes for ‘SAMSMARANAM’ will be available at the venue from April 5, 2007 onwards. Please do make it a point to attend and join us in savouring sweet memories.

'Purva' Baroda presents a cultural exchange program on June 28th 2006 in Baroda, Gujarat. This includes Bharatanatyam dance presentations by Kala nidhi - Kanpur, Purva - Baroda, & Odissi dance by Ms.Manasi Pandya. This will be followed by discussions on the development of classical dance in various Indian states.

Manasi Pandya will be performing Odissi dance in the celebrations of 'World dance day' hosted by 'Purva School' on April 29th 2006 in Baroda, Gujarat -India. There will also be Bharatanatyam dance performances by senior artists 'Purva' & lecture demonstration by Guru Shri Sharad Pandya.

Smitalay is a leading dance school of Mumbai established by renowned danseuse Guru Smt. Jhelum Paranjape in 1989 in the fond memory of the late actor Ms. Smita Patil. The aim of Smitalay is to teach Odissi and broaden the concept of dance in general as a visual communicator & educator. Odissi is the classical dance style of Orissa - the land of temples, the land of sculptures. Whether the chiseled beauty of the temple sculptures inspire the dance, or the sculptures depict the dance is a conundrum. The training imparted serves to produce aesthetically & technically good dancers who become professionals and at the same time bring an awareness of our cultural heritage amongst the youth.

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3rd International Odissi Festival is proposed to be held at Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India on Dec. 26-30, 2006.

The event is co-sponsored by Government of India, Government of Orissa and many private corporations.

The theme of the festival is "Odissi - Origin & Beyond". The festival will be dedicated to the memory of late Shri Kelucharan Mohapatra. The festival will also celebrate the Golden Jubilee celebration of Jayantika (The movement and vision behind creating Odissi), and the festival will feature a Home-Coming event for foreign dancers visiting their home or roots.