Ace Odissi dancer Lucky Prajna on a mission to popularise the classical dance across world

By Swagatika Bhutia

Bhubaneswar, April 25: Lucky Prajna Pratistha Mohanty, a talented Odissi dancer of Odisha has loads of dreams in his eyes. He wants to excel in the dance he has been so lovingly practicing since his childhood as well as take this captivating classical performing art to the world stage.

At the tender age of five, Lucky started watching Odissi dance shows aired by national television channel Doordarshan and began to dance before the screen imitating the footsteps of the dancers and trying his best to synchronise his body movements with the music. Seeing their son’s special interest in dance, his parents admitted him to Kala Vikash Kendra, Cuttack to train him in the classical dance form. And today, Lucky Prajna of Odisha’s Cuttack has carved a special niche for himself in the field.

From 1994 when he started learning the basics of Odissi, the 36-year-old Lucky Prajna, the 36-year-old young man has travelled a long distance. He has completed formal dance training in Nritya Visharad, Nritya Alankar and Sastri Purna.

During his early days of learning at Kala Vikash Kendra, Cuttack, Lucky came in contact with Guru Padmashree Kumkum Mohanty who taught him the niceties of the Odissi and laid the foundation for him to emerge as a budding dance talent.

“Odissi Guru Kumkum Mohanty really shaped my career. She taught me the nitty-gritty of the dance and inspired me to take up this classical art form to the world stage. Her words always resonated in my every breath and I decided to practice and preach this dance in my own country and abroad. I’m happy that I have been able to take this dance to many other states and countries and people have loved this very much,” says Lucky.

Lucky has performed at Konark Dance Festival, Mukteswar Dance Festival, Dhauli Dance Festival, Barabati Dance Festival and Srikhetra Dance Festival in Odisha. Outside the state, he has performed at Khajuraho, Chidambaram, Mahabalipuram, Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Kamakhya Temple Dance Festival in Assam.

His overseas performance in England, Switzerland and Argentina and the United States of America brought him wide recognition.

Of late, Lucky has been imparting dance education in Khairagarh University in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur.

“More than 1,000 students from Raipur received Odissi dance training from me. Besides, I have taught students of more than 45,000 schools in Chhattisgarh under the State Council of Educational Research & Training (SCERT). Now, I have one ambition – popularisation of Odissi across the length and breadth of the country and in as many countries as possible,” says the Odissi dancer and teacher.