Utsav Charan Das, a leading practitioner of Odisha’s Ghoda Nacha (also known as Chaiti Ghoda Nacha), died Feb. 26, 2026. He was 80. The cause of death was an undisclosed illness.
He died while under treatment at a private hospital in Choudwar in Cuttack district.
Das was known for presenting the horse-dance tradition beyond its village setting, with performances that reached national and international stages. For his contribution to traditional performing arts through Ghoda Nacha, he was named a Padma Shri awardee announced for 2020. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi was among those who publicly paid tribute.
Teaching was central to his work. In 1964, he founded an institution in Choudwar to train students in the form, bringing structured instruction to an art often passed down informally. He was born in Mania village and spent much of his childhood in Choudwar, where he completed his early education.
He decided while studying in Class VIII to dedicate his life to Ghoda Nacha. During a period of financial hardship, he supported himself by running a small betel shop after college hours while continuing his work in the arts. He also used folk programmes to carry messages on social and health issues, and he became a key figure in sustaining the tradition through performance and mentorship.