Ramhari Das

🪔 About

Pandit Ramhari Das, born on February 1, 1953, in Kanpur, Balasore, Odisha, India, is a distinguished figure in Indian classical music, renowned as a leading singer, composer, musicologist, and Guru of Odissi music. His profound contributions extend to Odissi dance through his compositions and vocal accompaniment. Das received his initial musical training from his uncle Radhakrushna Das and Guru Prafulla Kumar Sur. He pursued formal education in the Odissi Vocal Department of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, where he was mentored by esteemed Gurus such as Markandeya Mahapatra, Balakrushna Das, Bhikari Charan Bal, Gopal Chandra Panda, and Singhari Shyamsundar Kar. His illustrious career includes serving as a lecturer for 25 years (1985-2010) and later as the Head of the Odissi music department at the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya. He also held the position of Professor and Head of the Odissi Vocal Department at Utkal University of Culture and served as the Chief Executive of the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre. Pandit Das is the visionary founder of the Ramhari Das Odissi Gurukula, established on July 23, 2011, in Biragobindapur, Puri, an institution dedicated to training in Odissi classical vocal, Odissi Mardala, and Odissi Bina (Veena), and promoting Odissi dance and culture. He is also a key architect of the Sangita Sudhakara Balakrushna Dash foundation. As a prolific composer, he has created numerous songs for Odissi dance and dance-dramas, and has provided vocal support to many eminent Odissi dancers. His scholarly contributions include several research papers and articles, and he is the author of significant books like 'Odissi Sangitara Parampara O Prayoga', 'Sangita Sangya', 'Alankara Ratnabali', and 'Kala Sikhya'. He received a Senior Research Fellowship from the Government of India for his research on Odissi music. Pandit Das has performed extensively both in India and internationally for over three decades, and his online series, 'Guru Ramhari Das' Odissi Sangita Pathasala' on YouTube, offers graded lessons in Odissi music. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2008), Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2008), Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Samman, Award by Orissa Dance Academy, Award by Utkal Sahitya Kala Parishad, Guru Singhari Samman, Jadumani Das Saraswata Pratibha Samman (2017), Guru Sahadev Padhi Memorial Award (2019), Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award (2022).