A Chhau Artist, Haripa Mohanta has been working in this field for several years. He believes that teamwork is very important for every organisation. He put hard efforts to bring out the hidden talents of the people living in rural and backward areas.

Haripada Mohanta is a Chhau dance artist and guru. He is the secretary of   Nichupada Uttarsahi Chhau Nrutya Pratishthan in Baripada, Orissa.

Haripada belongs to a small town in Mayurbhanj district. He did his schooling  there and also completed his graduation. After completing his education,  in 1992, he entered the field of Chhau art.

Remembering his childhood memories, Haripada says that he spent his childhood in poverty and even had difficulty in getting proper food on a daily basis. He always had interest in the art field and used to participate in Kirtan, Jhumar and Kathi Nach and came into Chhau dance later.

Haripada shares that around 17-18 students from his organisation hold the National Senior Scholarship and Junior Scholarship has also been given to 7-8 students. According to him, in order to build an organisation, teamwork and proper training of artists is necessary.

Talking about the challenges he has faced, Haripada says that the biggest challenge was the unavailability of finance. Now, things have improved and the Chhau groups are performing at the district as well as state level and even abroad.

When asked about his achievements, Haripada says that at the organisation level they achieved and developed continuously. In terms of personal achievements he achieved a National Senior Scholarship from the Cultural department for research. He also worked as an expert in the cultural field. The biggest achievement for him was that they performed in London.

Talking about his role models Haripada says he got his inspiration from his guru and follows the principle given by him. He also adapts and follows the teachings of his guru Ramani Ranjan Mohanto.

Haripada prefers to listen to music in order to release tension and stress. His goal in his life is to achieve something big and to prove himself in front of other people. He also expresses his feelings by saying that he tries to provide a platform for the talented people from backward areas and small towns with the help of Sanskar Bharti.