GURU GANGADHAR PRADHAN
Guru Gangadhar Pradhan – one of the foremost exponents of Odissi Dance – is one of the Founders of Orissa Dance Academy. At the tender age of six, he received his training as Gotipua Dancer. After completing his Natya Acharya in Odissi from Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya under able guidance of Guru Pankaj Charan Das, Dr. Minati Mishra & Guru Deb Prasad Das, he received intensive training from Guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra. Apart from mastering the delicate nuances and the subtleties of Odissi, he is an excellent Mardala player. A recipient of the State Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1993, the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1998 and the Padmashree award from President of India in 2008.
Guru Gangadhar is the first person in the field of Orissan art to be bestowed with the prestigious assignment of teaching at the famed Cornell University(USA) as a visiting faculty. He has also served as the President of Orissa State Sangeet Natak Akademi for a tenure of one year (2006-07).To promote, preserve and project the classical tradition and culture, Guru Gangadhar is at helm of Konark Dance & Music Festival, Dhauli Mahotsav, Kalinga Kala Utsav and Odissi Sandhya organized every year in Orissa. He was awarded the prestigious Padmashree award in the year 2007 by His Excellency, the President of India, Honorary D. Lit. from Utkal University of Culture. He breathed his last on 10th October, 2010 due to a massive brain stroke.
Dream Unlimited
Let me honestly confess: I am not a serious thinker, rather I dream wild. I believe that thinking operates in a limited sphere. It is said that conscious mind compromises; it gives up soon. Probably for these reasons rational and realistic people cannot do something spectacular. They may be worldly-wise, but may not do justice to their abilities. They are not aware of the propelling power of an unfilled dream. Dreams by definition are not related to the ground realities. As a dreamer, one is constantly on the move; in the world of surrealism, one is neither worldly nor wise. I may not have achieved much in tangible terms; but I love chasing the dreams as they are beautiful and unlimited. For espousing the cause of Orissan art forms, probably my plans and efforts were painted on a huge canvas and many thought I was crazy. But thankfully, today there are so many to share my vision, dreamscape, strive to shape them into reality. The seeds sown, tilled, watered and manured in my dreamscape have sprouted into healthy saplings. If nourished and nurtured, soon there will be efflorescence all around. And of course, fruition of my dreams is not far off. Tomorrow, when this old bloke is dead and gone, there will be thousands of Gangadhar Pradhans to dream for preserving and propagating the Orissan art all over the globe. My soul will shed tears of joy from above, and remain indebted to Lord Jagannath for giving courage to dream.
– Padmashree Guru Gangadhar Pradhan.
