Padmini Panigrahi: A multifaceted woman of modern Odisha

Seven decades back Sundergarh district happened to be a tribal area. But ever since with the setting up of a steel plant by the public sector behemoth Steel Authority of India Limited(SAIL), Rourkela turned out to be an industrial hub of Odisha.  In over the past six decades this city has groomed many entrepreneurs, industrialists and politicians of repute. But on social and cultural angle as on this date the name that comes foremost is Padmini Panigrahi. This lady is a Who is Who of this Steel City. She is a multifaceted personality who is always on the move. Padmini made her presence felt in the realm of  Odishi dance, as well as in singing. 

Padmini was born at Rourkela itself. Her father Jagneswar Mahapatra was a lawyer. He was an Odisha Administrative Services(OAS) officer and posted at Rourkela, but afterward resigned to serve the society voluntarily . 

While at the tender age of six years one Sunday Padmini went to one of her batch mate’s home to play with her. In the mean while the music tutor reached there to teach her friend the Hindusthani classical songs.  Padmini was sitting there calmly while listening to Alankar#12

“Sa sa, re re, ga ga, ma ma, pa pa, dha dha, ni ni, sa sa;

sa sa, ni ni, dha dha, pa pa, ma ma, ga ga, re re, sa sa”.

The teacher asked her friend to recite the above  Alankar, but she unable to do. On the other hand Padmini who was listening assiduously raised her hand and said she can. The teacher smiled how she can at all without ever even practising. And that little girl sang without any flaw. The teacher was mesmerised how this tiny tot able to sing such a difficult alankar without even getting any formal training? That noble guru told to the father of Padmini he discovered a hidden gem. That teacher told Padmini possessing all the attributes to be a good singer. All she needs was to prone the hidden talents of her past birth which she is carrying.    

 Click here to listen to Alankar # 12

When Padmini was a student of Class 4^th had the proud privilege to perform as Krishna before the then Chief Minister of Odisha Nandini Satpathy. On watching her performance the then Chief Minister even asked the school authority whose daughter is this girl? Then it was a proud moment for her father as he stood out of the audience in the gallery to answer it was he.  

Padmini attended Uditnagar High School, Rourkela. It’s a co-educational school. Since her childhood Padmini was inclined towards music and dance. That girl at the tender age of six secured second position in the district level competition by singing an Odia patriotic song.

In her studies Padmini was a topper that apart was active in all the extracurricular activities. During her college days Padmini was a tomboy. Due to mass illiteracy, during those decades society was conservative. Adolescent girls and females were instructed to keep themselves indoors. But during such a blackout phase Padmini was active in all the outdoor activities be it cycling, tracking the hills or travelling to distant places of Odisha.

During her school days Padmini did the gitinatya on Radha Krishna. The theme of gitinatya are based mostly on different Hindu religious scriptures. Gitinatya is one of the most difficult form of dance as the performer have to keep on singing live while acting on the stage.  She remembers as a token of appreciation someone garlanded her currency notes. This apart she also performed as Abhimanyu in the gitinatya titled Abhimanyu baddha. During her adolescent age Padmini has also performed the regional dances of Western Odisha like Patar Saura and Kela keluni, which are now on the verge of extinction. 

On passing Class 10^th she enrolled her name in Intermediate Science at Government Science College, Rourkela. Afterwards she acquired Bachelor of Science from the same college. Entire career she was a good performer in her education. During that time Padmini went to perform in an international conference that held at the historic Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. She performed Sambalpuri dance on a theme based on environmental issues. Likewise she also performed at a youth festival that was organised at Veer Surendra Sai Medical(VIMSAR) College, Burla.

After graduation she did MSc from the School of Life Sciences. But Padmini had the thirst to study further, so as to gather knowledge and the skills.   She did not halt there just with it. She went on to do MBA which was then an almost unknown subject in this region. And she did it from Xavier Institute of Management(XIMB),Bhubaneswar. 

But once again she returned to her fort and did her Master’s at School of Performing Arts, Sambalpur University. At present persuing Ph.D in management and will qualify with a Doctoral degree by the end of this year.  

On completion of post-graduation while following the rich custom of Odisha she got married. But she was fortunate enough to get such in-laws who were liberal in their thought process. Her husband and especially mother-in-law were supportive. Every night after winding up of her daylong domestic work Padmini was escaping to the upstairs room at her home. She was shutting all the windows of the room and doing the riyaz(practicing) of classical singing undisturbed at least for two hours. She used to work that hard to keep harmony in between her domestic life and the passion for singing. 

She got training under the masters of Odishi dance such as Guru Prabhat Kumar Swain, Guru Sujata Mahapatra, Guru Sunita Pattnaik, and finally Padmashree Aruna Mohanty.

But with the arrival of her two children she almost gave up her practise of dance. But while bathing, feeding or making her baby to sleep Padmini was keep on humming songs by her own self.

Her father-in-law Siba Shankar Panigrahi was an Officer of Indian Forest Service(IFS). He retired at the highest position as the Chief Conservator of Forests of Sambalpur Division. When both the children of Padmini started going school, Padmini able to find time for her own self. It was he who suggested her to accomplish the unfulfilled wish of her life.

Padmini enrolled her name for Sangeet Visarat degree in Hindustani classical vocal at Gandharva Mahavidyalay, Mumbai. It is the lone apex Hindustani classical singing institution of India, which was set up almost a Century back by Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar.

On acquiring this degree boldly she went forward to sing at All India Radio, Sambalpur. Over the decades she sang in almost all the private radio and television channels be it Radio Chocolate, FM radio, 92.3 Big FM, Prarthana TV, MBC TV, Tarang TV so on and so forth. She even sang a song in one Odra(a local dialect) movie. But whatever little fees that she earns out of her singing activities she doesn't carry it home. Padmini believes the money that she gets out of singing is a daibik ashirwad(divine blessing) and it is none of her personal wealth. She uses that money exclusively for social cause.

Padmini has a soft corner for the downtrodden people of the society. And she is committed this life of her for the well being of such people. She strictly believes whatever one earns should contribute a portion of it for the welfare of the society. In the year 2016 she has set up Dream Team Foundation. She herself is its trustee. 

Looking at the impact of their work in the year 2019 Rourkela Municipal Corporation(RMC) tied up with Dream Team Foundation. The name the project is Purnanjali. RMC provided a vehicle, a chauffeur and utensils. They got a phone helpline where people with surplus food can call. The members of this Foundation collects surplus food from different restaurants and wedding feasts and distributing the food stuff to the poor and the poverty stricken people living in the slums of Rourkela and its adjoining areas. 

That apart she is running a NGO by the name Koshal Darpan. They have undertaken almost an impossible challenge of imparting dance skills to the children of underprivileged families. Until now they have trained as many as 20 children under this project.

Padmini is a singer, dancer and actor. She got lot many things in her kitty. Apart from all these art forms she manages her time to impart education to the management graduates. She teaches management as a​ guest faculty to the MBA students of National Institute of Technology(NIT), Rourkela; Rourkela Institute of Management Studies(RIMS); Indian Institute for Production Management(IIPM), Rourkela and finally at Kalinga Institute Of Industrial Technology(KIIT), Bhubaneswar. 

Whatever Karma(activity) that one do, he or she will get the proportionate returns in this life itself. Likewise over the past two decades Padmini Panigrahi has been felicitated with due recognitions at some of the prestigious platforms across the country. 

Recently Padmini was invited to the  annual function of Prayas Foundation, New Delhi where she has been felicitated with the "Pride of the Nation Excellence Awards, 2020". This event was graced by the presence of B P Singh, eminent author and former Governor of Sikkim;  Manoj Tiwari, President, BJP, Delhi State; Ashok Bajpai, Rajyasabha MP and Amarendra Khatua poet and Ex-Director General of ICCR. 

She has also been awarded with Women Excellence Award for Corporate Excellence, at Jaydev Bhawan, Bhubaneswar.

[While being felicitated by Padmashri Pandit Bhajan Sopori at the 8th addition of AARYA Awards, Bhubaneswar]

She has been felicitated with Juhar Samman by the Juhar Parivar of Baroda and Western Odisha Yuva Munch, Bhubaneswar. But on the other hand she has been invited as a Guest of Honor by Juhar Parivar Bangalore, New Delhi and Hyderabad. Juhar Parivar is the organisations that are formed by the people of western Odisha. In the year 2017 she has been felicitated with Times Achiever Award at Bhubaneshwar. Likewise she has been awarded for Women Empowerment at Rourkela. She was invited and felicitated by Lok Kala Mahotsav of Katabanji. Padmini has been felicitated at various Lok Mahotsav organized by Govt. of Odisha across the state. Notably Grishma Mahotsav, Bargarh.

Her husband and she has taken the initiative and constructed the Samleswari Mandir at Hanuman Vatika, Rourkela. They have built this temple to pay homage to her brother-in-law. This Vatika is an important tourist destination of this smart city.

​The world recognise her because she is a multifaceted artist be it singing or dancing. But on the other hand Padmini has built a business empire of herself. She is the Directors of Koshala Hyundai. She not only teaches management to the students of MBA, but applies the same in the business that she carries. Her company  has won the award of Elite Dealer in Eastern Zone for the year 2008 which was followed by winning the fame of best dealer partner in CATI H2 for the year 2013. Her business assignments made her travel across the globe, except Antarctica and Alaska. Until now this jet set lady has travelled as many as 35 countries.   

She is a true Odiya beauty who represents Odisha and its culture in the purest form. Apart from this, she pursued her MSc from the Sambalpur University along with an MBA in Marketing and HR from the Xavier Institute of Management located in Bhubaneswar. Her list of achievement in the academic sector doesn’t just end here. She has worked for an array of organizations while playing the role of guest faculty which includes colleges and universities such as NIT Rourkela; RIMS Rourkela; Indian Institute for Production Management(IIPM), Rourkela; KIIT, Bhubaneswar; Times Institute, Rourkela.

This dancer went on to bag the tag of best performer in the overall service in KPI for the year 2014 followed by an array of recognitions which include the famed awards such as Sarat Samman in 2017 at Bhubaneswar, Juhar Samman in the very same year at Delhi and Bangalore.

She has also received the tag for Times Achiever Award at Bhubaneswar in the year 2017. She has performed at the Sambalpur Lok Mahotsav 2015 and on the same platform she also has been felicitated.

She also worked with the Govt. of Odisha to promote the rich heritage of the Odisha’s performing art on national and international stages be it  South Korea or Indonesia. Till date, she has performed in more than 20 Lok Mahotsav festivals that are being organized by the Department of Culture, Govt. of Odisha. She was also invited as the guest for the Dhanu Jatra of Bargarh which happen to be the world’s largest open air theatre where lakhs of tourists throng every year.

[Padmini Panigrahi in 

Tedex talks]

Padmini Panigrahi has also raised her voice for the welfare of the third gender who are the victims of the society. She is working to make them self-supportive instead of begging in the train compartments.

She always promotes the young and budding talent of the state with her motivational speeches that ignite the spirit of fighting against the odds and to emerge as a winner in life. Her NGO named Koshal Darpana imparting training of performing arts and sports to the budding talents. They search for the hidden talents in the society and equip them with the knowledge and the needed skills.

She flaunts a great singing voice with ample training in the Hindustani Classical vocal music. She has earned the title of Visharad from the renown Gandharva University, Mumbai. She has sung for a number of Ollywood movies as well as albums. But her folk songs of western Odisha can tingle even the depressed minds. She has also appeared at various talk shows that include names such as Zee Sarthak’s “Eithi Ama Rasoi Ghara”.

She firmly believes unless one keeps physically fit apart none of the highest goals on this planet can be achieved. She makes sure her body remains fit and free from any kind of ailments. Every morning she religiously practices yoga. She believes yoga is an art that brings harmony in life. She completed her training from the Bihar School of Yoga that is located in Munger. Over the years her fitness programs have been broadcasted in several Odiya TV channels. 

The sanskar or the true nature of a person can be recognized by looking at the way he or she treats animals. Padmini also got a bowl of love for the other species as well. She believes it is we the homo sapiens who have grabbed the land that once belonged to other creatures. She is completely against animal cruelty and supports every act that is tended in favour of stray animals. She believes a proper balance for the mutual survival of all the species is the call of the hour.

She is running a NGO by the name Dream Team Foundation of which she is a trustee. This NGO is collecting the surplus food from different social feasts and distributing it to the hungry stomachs in the slum areas. For it they got a telephone hotline service. Last year Rourkela Municipal Corporation joined with Dream Team Foundation to run the project Purnanjali. 

At present during the lock down period  of Covid-19(i.e. corona virus) pandemic the Dream Team Foundation is distributing food to the homeless and destitute in different slum areas. 

In the realm of singing she has got training under the tutelage of Gautam Mukherjee of “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” fame and Suresh Wadekar the playback singer of lot many Hindi and Marathi movies.

Padmini is a travel enthusiast who loves to explore the captivating beauty spread all across the world while proudly promoting her culture in the best way. Till date, this diva has travelled more than 30 different countries almost 50 times at such a young age. She has visited countries such as UK, Thailand, South Korea, Spain, Egypt, Japan, USA, Germany, Soviet Russia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Burma, Cambodia, and many others in order to attend cultural programs and to  learn the work culture across the globe. 

Apart from giving credit to all her gurus, she acknowledges the name of her husband Prakash Panigrahi who is supportive. 

From politics to social work and business management to dancing to the tunes of Odiya songs, Padmini has scaled the boundaries of society and stands tall as a youth icon among the admirers who love and adore her for her simplicity that is different from any other in spite of the reputable fame under her name. The best thing that makes this flawless dancer different from others is the fact that she does it all with a smile that never goes off her face. According to her, life is too small to have a frowned face represent your precious moments so smiling is the best way to get around the difficult themes of life with flying colors. She never feared failure as giving up was never an option for this dancing diva. She truly deserves the fame and respect for emerging as the phoenix that rises from the ashes of failure and proves herself as a worthy warrior.

​On 8th June 2019 Padmini was invited to speak at one of the renowned platform of the world called TEDx. Its a global platform which is conducted by local partners across the planet. It showcase the local talent and ideas to make them useful to the society. The programme was hosted in India by Taxila Business School, Rajasthan. She is the first ever TedX performer in India to talk about folk art. She narrated all the struggle that she has confronted in her personal life while chasing her dreams. She highlighted it is only the classical dance of Odisha which has been given due recognition until now. She urged to give due recognition to the folk dances of Odisha be it chau nrutya or danda nrutya. On that very platform with her astounding performance of folk dance she amazed the audience present over there.

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