The five-day-long Vedvyas Sangeet Nrutyotsav-2017 annual mega prestigious national festival of classical dance, classical vocal, folk dance and tribal dance will kick off on November 1 at the Open Air Auditorium of the Bhanja Bhavan here.
The Bhanja Kala Kendra, the cultural wing of Bhanja Cultural Trust, established in the year 1967, is celebrating its Golden Jubilee this year. A galaxy of distinguished artists from different parts of India and abroad will arrive in the Steel City to present an array of classical and folk dances as well as vocal music. The festival will witness riveting performances of more than 300 artists including 34 artists from abroad and eight exponents decorated with prestigious awards like Padma Bhushan, Padmashri and CSNA from India.
The festival will be inaugurated by CEO, SAIl, RSP Ashwini Kumar. Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram, Culture and Tourism Minister Ashok Kumar Panda, MlA, Raghunathpalli Subrat Tarai, Padmashri Mukund Naik, RCCF lingaraj Otta , ED (Works), SAIl, RS Subhendra Das, Director (Personnel) lila Nand Mishra will grace different evenings of the festival as esteemed guests. A magnificent stone carved monument standing on a tall illuminated pillar will be unveiled on the occasion.
The star attractions of the festival include Bharat Natyam exponent Padma Bhushan Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan, tribal folk dance and music exponent Padmashri Mukund Naik, famous Sareikala Chhau exponent Padmashri Pandit Gopal Dubey, Central Sangeet Natak Academy awardee and famous Odishi dance exponent Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, Kathak exponent V Anuradha Singh, eminent Manipuri dance exponent Poushali Chaterjee, famous Sambalpuri folk dance Guru Alok Panda, eminent Hindustani classical vocalist Pandit Vidyadhar Mishra, Odishi vocalist Guru Dr Ramahari Das, Guru Prof Bijay Jena, besides artists from Malaysia, Bangladesh and Nepal.
