Sushant Kumar Mahapatra
Sushant Kumar Mahapatra is a professional and traditional Seraikella Chhau mask maker. He belongs to a traditional family and mask making is a continuous profession that is flowing from his ancestors. He is one of the best mask makers from Jharkhand who has been awarded many recognition and awards by the government as well as by different organizations for his best work in the field of traditional mask making.
He is an extremely talented and skilled mask maker and gives very detailed perfection in making a mask. His years of practice and his passion for mask making took him to a great level of experience. He has been engaged in this work since his teenage. He is the best artist of Seraikella Chhau Mask making art and has performed in many programs and workshops.
Family Background
Sushant Kumar Mahapatra belongs to a traditional family. His whole family is engaged in this art of Seraikella Chhau mask making work. He is the nephew of the famous Seraikella Chau mask maker Late Shilpa Kushal Prashanna Kumar Mahapatra. He was awarded the title of Shilpa Kushal adept in a painting by the Maharaja of Seraikella state and conferred with Sarangdev fellow by Sur Sringar Samsad in Mumbai 1981. His uncle’s dream was only to see his small academy flowering into a school that preserves arts and this Seraikella Chau mask making culture.
Education and early life
Sushant Kumar Mahapatra is an intermediate and there is not much achievement for him as a student. After learning the skill of mask making, he worked as an instructor in Sri Jagannath Art School at Seraikella which is established by his uncle Late Shilpa Kushal Prashant Kumar Mahapatra. He worked under the guidance of his uncle for five years from 1978 – 1983.
He has exhibited his works across the country in various festivals including the Republic Day parade 1992 where he got the chance to present his mask to the president of India Shri R. Venkata Raman.
His hand made Seraikella Chhau mask of Shri Krishna was also presented to the president of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee by ex-chief minister of Jharkhand in 2017.
He has traveled widely in the world conducting his workshops and displaying his works in New York USA, Paris, Berlin, Germany, and Japan in 1996.
His achievements
Sushant Kumar Mahapatra has numerous achievements in the field of Seraikella Chhau mask making. His years of experience in mask making has rewarded him with many honors and titles in his life. He has more than 10 awards and titles of honor in his field of work. His awards justify the quality and perfection he provided in the field of Seraikella Chhau Mask making. His contribution in this field is very precious. He has helped this traditional Seraikella Chhau Mask making profession to reach many countries.
- He is the first man to get senior scholarships to young artists in this field of Seraikella Chhau mask Making from the ministry of culture govt. Of India in New Delhi.
- In 2005, he got the senior fellowship to outstanding persons in the field of culture in Seraikella Chhau mask making from the ministry of culture Govt. Of India and he repeated this again in 2007.
- Sushant Kumar Mahapatra has also received the state Sanskritik Samman for two consecutive years 2007 and 2008 at Morabadi Ground, Ranchi, Jharkhand on the occasion of independence day. He received his awards from the ex-chief minister of Jharkhand Sri Madhu Koda.
- He has also received the Singhbhum Shilpa Samman in the year 2006 at the Uttkal Diwas in Seraikella.
- In the year 2001, he has felicitated inside Odisha legislative assembly hall by Purnango Utkal Nyasi Mandal.
- He has been awarded Chhau Guru Samman by the deputy commissioner of Seraikella on the occasion of Chhau Mahotsav Kharsawan 2014 on 12 June 2014.
- The ex-chief minister of Jharkhand Sri Raghubar Das has awarded Sushant Kumar Mahapatra with Seraikella Chhau’s best mask maker Samman on the eve of Chhau Mahotsav Seraikella 2015 on 12 April 2015.
His tremendous passion and big dreams have made his small academy Sri Jagannath Art school to a big academy of Seraikella Chhau Mask making art institute and have worked a lot in preserving this art. His contribution to this Chhau Mask Making Art is priceless and very valuable.
His workshops and conference
Sushant Kumar Mahapatra has conducted his workshops in different states, different cities of the country and also conducted his conference and workshops at the international level. He started conducting his conference and workshops in the country in 1972 and has taken it to the international level in 1996. There are numerous workshops and conferences held by him.
At International Level
In the year 1996, he thought of taking this Seraikella Chhau mask-making art on an international level and he got the opportunity to demonstrate and display the Seraikella Chhau mask in the USA on 11 February 1996. The program was organized by Solari’s dance theatre and world music institute New York. Seeing his beautiful and amazing piece of work in this art, Indian Cultural Centre Berlin has held its workshops and performance in Berlin from August 27th to 16th September in the year 1999. In the same year 1999, he participated in the Hallamasch festival in Vienna from September 18 to 25. After 1999, he did not perform any type of workshops and conference at international level and thought to influence this art of mask making in India and to expand the
At National level
Sushant Kumar Mahapatra has held many workshops and conferences and participated in many programs to present his art of Seraikella Chhau mask making at the national level. He has been performing and conducting his workshops since 1972.
He first performed and shown his art in Delhi Doordarshan in the year 1972 and after that, in the year 1992, he got the chance of presenting a mask to president Shri R. Venkataraman on the eve of republic day. He also designed costumes for Ballet Ashoka for CPC Doordarshan New Delhi and has performed and held many workshops in 1992.
In 1995 he has given the charge of Masks and Costume and honorary committee member of Govt. Chhau Dance Center Seraikella and at present, he is on the same post. In 1996, as per the requisition of Sangeet Natak Academy New Delhi, he made and supplied Seraikella Chhau Mask of God Sri Krishna and Sri Ganesh for the Seoul Olympics in South Korea.
In the year 1998, he attended Boudh Mahotsav and Dweep Mahotsav in the month of November and December. In the year 1999, he has participated in the workshop on Mask Traditional of Jharkhand at the center for excellence in Jamshedpur.
In the year 1999, he participated in a workshop on Mask Traditional of Jharkhand at the center for Excellences in Jamshedpur.
In the year 2018, he received an award from Jaya Parda, Bollywood Actress for participating at Som Hospital BSBR Odisha. In the same year, he also received Kala Shree Samman by the secretary of Sangeet Natak academy on the occasion of Akhil Bhartiya Lok Kala Mahotsav at New Delhi. He also received the best mask maker award from the governor of Jharkhand Smt. Dropadi Murmu on the occasion of the Chhau festival.
Many documentary films have mentioned his art of Seraikella Chhau mask making. He has been continuously participating and winning awards in various programs. His latest achievements are in the year 2019. In the year 2019, he made the Chhau mask of Lord Shri Krishna which was presented by ex-chief minister Shri Raghubar Das to our honorable prime minister of India Shri Narendra Modi. In 2019, he also participated in Dumka for his mask-making workshop organized by the Ministry of culture Jharkhand from 10 Feb to 20 Feb.
Key Achievements
There are numerous achievements in Sushant Kumar Mahaptra’s life but here we will mention some of the key achievements which are memorable for him. In the year 1996 when he supplied the mask of Lord Shri Krishna and Shri Ganesha for the Seoul Olympics in South Korea. In 2004, his mask was selected as the logo of the 9th Rashtriya Yuva Youth Festival. The pioneer English magazine published his work with his photo in the year 2012. His work has been telecast by APN news and ND TV news channel on 19th July 2015. His works are also telecast on many regional news channels.
Personal Information
Sushant Kumar Mahapatra is born on the 10th of December, 1952. His contribution to this art is amazing and full of awards and honors. He is actively working in the field of Seraikella Chhau mask making. If you want to meet him just to take more information about the art of Seraikella Chhau mask-making or to get the Seraikella Chhau Mask of any god or any type of mask then visit him at his home. He lives near Jagannath Temple ward no 3, Seraikella Jharkhand 833219. In case if you want to organize his workshops in your city or want to host his performance then you can contact him on his mobile number 9939372805 or you can mail him on sumit8585@gmail.com.
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