LIFE & ART (A BRIEF NOTE)
Smt Meera Das is a name which is kindred to Odissi, since time. Hailing from a small district of Keonjhar, Odisha and her pander in the art form, made her one of the fervid disciples of the legend & doyen himself, The Padma Vibhushan Guru Shri Kelucharan Mohapatra. She, out of her adherence towards the dance and her guru, was the frontline in all of his major choreographies and productions and got the honored to share the stage with luminary Icons Padmashree Guru Smt Kumkum Mohanty, & Padmashree Guru Smt Sanjukta Panigrahi. She was also privileged to get guidance under Padmashree Guru Gangadhar Pradhan. She fostered the art form from a small district of Odisha to that of more than 300 districts across the globe abruptly, being have performed and epitomized it in all of the 7 Continents, for more than 60 Countries in a span of 4 decades. Her Stalwart nature towards both Odissi dance and her guru along with stern & diligent practice, bestowed her with performances on all of the major dance festivals of India and other parts of the world like Konark Dance Festival, Khajuraho Dance Festival, Nishagandhi Dance Festival, Kinkini Dance Festival to name a few in India and the Major Dance Festivals abroad arranged in the Asian Nations, the Europe, Middle East, the United States, and many others to mention. She has made a Niche for herself with Awards and Accreditations from all over the world like the
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State Sangeet Natak Academy Award,
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Sanjukta Panigrahi Samman,
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Outstanding Senior Artist of ICCR,
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Top National Artist of Doordarshan to mention a very few among them.
With the kind blessings of her Guru Shri Kelucharan Mohapatra she has entrenched her own Dance Company cleped as Gunjan Dance Academy in Cuttack for over 2 and half decades now, whose ensemble successfully has been performing and touring the Globe. Along with the establishment of Gunjan she has composed and choreographed 55 dance numbers. She efficiently conducts and convenes the Gunjan Dance and Music Festival and also 4 other major festivals featuring great artistes of difference art forms. She has contently produced extremely talented and ardent dancers of the repertoire, who are themselves epitomes of their Guru. Her entire life is a dedicated journey of dance which till her last breathe will be for, the then cause of Odissi and its upliftment around the World.
