The ‘Konark Festival’-2021, a five-day Indian classical dance extravaganza, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Konark on Wednesday.
Minister of School and Mass Education Samir Ranjan Dash, Minister of Tourism and Odia Language and Culture Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi and Minister of Electronic and IT, Sports and Youth Services Tusharkanti Behera as honorable guests of the event lit the ceremonial lamp as part of the inaugural ceremony. The programme is organised by the State Department of Tourism in association with the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi and Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC).
The inaugural show witnessed Odishi performance by Madhavi Mudgal and Group led by Odishi exponent Padma Shri Madhavi Mudgal from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi. The performances showcased Odishi dance recitals on Nartan Ganesh, Pallavi, Abhinaya and Trayi. It was followed by Kathak performance by Vaswati Mishra and Group of ‘Dhwani’ from Lucknow Gharana.
The International Sand Art Festival 2021 at the Chandrabhaga beach was inaugurated earlier on the day by Minister of School and Mass Education Dash, Minister of Tourism and Odia Language and Culture Panigrahi, Minister of Electronic and IT, Sports and Youth Services Behera and noted sand artist Padma Shri Sudarshan Patnaik.
This year 100 artisans are participating in the event which includes artists from Odisha and 9 other Indian States including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The theme for the inaugural day was 'Culture and Monuments' on which various enchanting sand sculptures were created.