RAMANI RANJAN JENA
Akademi Award: Odissi

Born in 1941 at Remuna village in Orissa, Shri Ramani Ranjan Jena was initiated in Odissi dance at an early age. Among his teachers at various stages were Gurus Gayadhar Panda, Ramaswami, Ramgopal Mishra, Raghunath Dutta, and Mayadhar Raut. Eventually, Shri Jena found in Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra his true mentor in the field, and learnt the art under his guidance at Kala Vikash Kendra, Cuttack.

A highly respected teacher, Shri Ramani Ranjan Jena has taught Odissi dance at various institutions in the country. These include the Odissi Research Centre in Bhubaneswar, Kalakshetra in Chennai, Kala Vikash Kendra in Cuttack, Nrityagram near Bangalore, and the Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi. For some time, he has also taught at Osaka in Japan. At his own institution, the Kamal Kala Peetha in Cuttack, Shri Jena has trained a number of dancers of repute including his son Rashmi Ranjan Jena. At present, he imparts dance training both at his Kala Peetha in Cuttack and at Triveni Kala Sangam in the Capital

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Shri Ramani Ranjan Jena has been bestowed several prestigious honours for his work including the Orissa Sahitya Akademi Award in 2009, the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award in 2008, and the Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987.

For his contribution to Odissi dance, Shri Ramani Ranjan Jena receives the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.