Ahe Nila Saila by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Odissi Padma Vibhshan 1986 NYC

This rare recording was of the one performance of Guruji during my 1985-86 USA tour which he accompanied along with Pt Bhubaneswar Misra -violin, shri Rakhal Mohanty - Vocal, and Ratikant Mohapatra playing pakhawaj/mardala for this performance instead of manjiras. It was at the NYC Metropolitan Museum and was the last concert of the tour. I apologize that the ending is not there as the recording was transferred and digitized from VHS so long ago and is incomplete. If I can find the original I will add it if it is there.
About the composition. Ahe Nila Sahila – Oriya poetry of Salabega
The Muslim Bhakti poet here calls on Jagannath, the blue mountain/gem to banish his many problems. The poet tells Jagannath/Vishnu/Krishna that “you rescued the elephant king when he was caught by a crocodile and prayed to you, heard Draupadi’s heartfelt plea in the Kaurav’s court and gave unlimited cloth when they tried to shame her, emerged from the column to save little Prahlada as half-man, half lion Narasimha, I bow at your feet in prayer, a muslim outcaste, grant me a small space to pray to you outside your temple in Puri and dispel my sufferings as well.”