A 10-day-long 23rd South Odisha Natak Mahotsav will be held at the Jagannath Kalaparishad at Chikiti from December 9.
The core objectives of the festival is to encourage and inspire artistes and cultural organisations besides creating a new generation of artistes in this region, said general secretary of Ganjam Zilla Mancha Kalakar Sammilani Ramesh Maharana here at a Press meet on Sunday. Such an ambitious festival was conceptualised only to encourage contemporary artists and keep their arts alive, he added.
Maharana said it is quite unfortunate that after the cyclone Phailin there is virtually no space or platform in this heritage Silk City to hold such artistic and cultural festivals.
In the 10-day festival, several directors, intellectuals and artistes from selected institutions would participate and stage their performances. On the first day, the Kalakar Sammilani’s drama Cheera Kagaj would be staged. This would be followed by the play Achhav by the Sri Sri Narasingh Natya Sangh of Sural, Satawdee’r Haash by the Maa Kalua Natya Sangh, Yaa Devi Sarba Bhuteshu by the Udaynath Sanskruta Parishad of R.Udayagiri, Atrupta Atmaa by the Yuba Natya Sansad of Chikitigada, Sanjivanee by the Maa Gramyadevi Natya Sangh of Bamokei, Andha Galira Pathik by the Bharati Kala Niketan of Jharigaon (Nabarangpur), Daayi Kiye by the Jana Jagaran Samiti of Kirtipur and Yeshaku Tesha by the Block Kala Sangh of Nabarangpur.
A seminar on “Ganjamra Natyakala” would be held on December 18 followed by prize distribution function. Maharana urged the public and artists to come to festival in large numbers. Among others, president of the Mahotsav Balaram Das, Ramesh Moharana, Bichitrananda Bebarta, Ashutosh Patra, Sudip Kumar Sahu, Gokulanand Sabat and Santosh Panigrahi were present at the news conference.