Mayadhar Raut Biography 
Mayadhar Raut is a noted Odissi dancer and teacher from Cuttack, Orissa. Raut has played a major role in giving Odissi its classical 'shastra' based status. He has received numerous honours throughout his career including - Biju Patnaik Samman (1993), Kavi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Samman (2005), Rajeev Gandhi Samman (2003), Odissi Sangeet Natak Academy (1977), Utkal Pratibha Puraskar (1984), Sahitya Kala Parishad Award (1984), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1985), Tagore Akademi Ratna (2011) and most recently Padma Shri by government of India in 2010. He is married to Mamta Khuntia and among three kids Madhumita Raut is also a noted Odissi dancer.
He was born on July 6, 1930 in Cuttack of Orissa. He is a native of Kantapenhara village. He received training in Odissi by famous dancer Rukmini Devi Arundale at Kalakshetra. He introduced Mudra Vinyoga to this art form in 1955. His notable compositions are ‘Pashyati Dishi Dishi’ and ‘Priya Charu Shile’, composed in 1961. Raut is regarded as the master of Natyashastra and Abhinaya Darpana, and has also enriched the Abhinaya vocabulary of this traditional dance form. Earlier he taught at Kala Vikas Kendra and during the period, 1970 to 1995, he was a guru at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra. He is one of the founding members of Jayantika association.
Raut was the first Odissi Guru to introduce Mudra Vinyoga in the teachings of this dance form in 1955. Earlier, only the Oriya songs or the Ashtapadi ‘Lalit Lavanga Lata’ and ‘Dashavatar’ were taught and performed. He was the first Odissi dancer to present Gitagovinda Ashtapadis in Odissi dance form. He also introduced to this dance form, a new item named Sancharibhava.
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Updated: January 22, 2014
