Gopal Chandra Panda

Gopal Chandra Panda
ଗୋପାଳ ଚନ୍ଦ୍ର ପଣ୍ଡା
Pt. Panda at his residence in Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Background information
Birth nameGopal Chandra Panda
Born(1940-06-17)17 June 1940
Ramakrusnapura, Bhadrak, Odisha
GenresOdissi music
OccupationsOdissi music Guru, musicologist, vocalist & composer
Awards: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2011

Pandit Gopal Chandra Panda (Odia: ଗୋପାଳ ଚନ୍ଦ୍ର ପଣ୍ଡା, romanized: Gopāḷa Chandra Paṇḍā, Odia: [gopaːɭɔ t͡ʃɔnd̪ɾɔ pɔɳɖaː] ⓘ; born 1940) is a Guru of Odissi classical music, vocalist, researcher and composer. A disciple of Singhari Shyamsundar Kar, he has authored several books such as Odissi Raga Ratnabali & Odissi Raga Darpana,[1] and is acclaimed for his efforts to collect & document several traditional Odissi ragas from the hinterlands. Panda served as a lecturer and head of department in the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya for nearly three decades. He has performed in music festivals across the country[2] and is the founder of the Gopal Panda Odissi Academy. In 2011, Panda received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contributions to Odissi music.[3][4]

Panda started his initial training in Odissi music from his father Nilamani Panda and his elder brother Nandakishore Panda. He continued his training under Guru Damodar Panda and Adiguru Singhari Shyamsundar Kar. He served as a lecturer in the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya from 1972 onwards, and as the head of the Odissi music department from 1984 to 1998.[2][3][5] Panda's disciples are among the foremost exponents of Odissi music in the present times, including Guru Ramhari Das,[6] Mitali Chinara and Binod Bihari Panda. His daughters Sangita Panda and Sarita Panda are renowned vocalists.

He has collected and documented traditional compositions in over a hundred Ragas in his published works.[2][7] Panda's compositions are widely sung in Odissi music recitals and employed in Odissi dance. He has worked closely with the founding Gurus of Odissi dance, including Guru Deba Prasad Das and toured around the globe as the chief singer for recitals of Indrani Rahman, one of the first professional Odissi dancers.[2][8][1] Panda has also composed all the ashtapadis of Jayadeva's Gitagovinda following the original Raga-Tala indications of the 12th-century poet, in an attempt to approximate a reconstruction of the same.[2]

  1. ^ a b "Awardee Details : Gopal Chandra Panda". srjan.com. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Panda, Pt. Gopal Chandra (2004). Odisi Raga Ratnabali ओडिसी राग रत्नावली (in Hindi). Bhubaneswar.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ a b "Sangeet Natak Akademi : Gopal Chandra Panda". Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Gopal Ch. Panda to receive Sangeet Natak Akademi award". OdishaTV. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  5. ^ Parhi, Kirtan Narayan (2005). Odisi Sangitara Itihasa (in Odia). Bhubaneswar: Jayadev Foundation Trust.
  6. ^ "About Guru Ramhari Das". Ramahari Das Odishi Gurukul Trust. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Book to popularise Odissi ragas - Gopal Chandra Panda brings out his 40 years of research on music". The Telegraph. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2020.