Dayanidhi Das was an Odissi dance teacher from Odisha, India. He was the first dance teacher in Kala Vikash Kendra, Cuttack established by Babulal Doshi, where he was teaching Odissi and Kthak. In 1952-53 he documented the dance forms and mudras of Odissi in text format, which was taught at Kala Vikas Kendra as a syllabus. He was following Gotipua tradition of Odissi dance. He named the first part of Odissi dance as Mangalacharan. He was the 1st secretary and founding member of Jayantika, a community formed in 1955 to promote Odissi dance globally. Early life and education Das was born to Sanatan Das in Sajanapada village of Nayagarh district of Odisha. He enjoyed the street plays and theaters in the night throughout his childhood, learned to play the tabla and other instruments, and practised folk dancing at the expense of his academics, which irritated his father. Once the furious father beat him ruthlessly. When he was in class eleven, he fled his house out of pain and dread. He pursued further study while taking private tuition to support himself. From Nayagarh, he graduated from high school. After that, he relocated to Cuttack, where he thrived in the arts of dance, music, and tabla while pursuing his academic goals at Ravensha College. The National Music Association (NMA) and Utkal Sangeet Samaja were two well-known institutes in the realm of dance and music at the time. In NMA, he studied Kathak and Hindustani vocal music. Unfortunately, he was unable to complete his vocal music study, but he did receive the Nritya Pravakar in Kathak and Odissi from the Prayag Sangeet Samiti in Allahabad. He studied tabla under Radha Gobinda Ghose. Filmography Lakshmi - actor and dance choreographer Playwright Palli Sanje Bani Archana Anjulae Nataka Natika Chayana Amruta Santana Natya Sandhya Jayantika Sarala Chhabila Akshara Shiksha Personal life He married Nishamani Das in 1955. His daughter Vijayalaxmi Das who works in preserving the legacy of her father. On 14 March 1979 at the age 50, he died. References External links People from Odisha People from Nayagarh district Indian classical choreographers Odissi exponents