The Madhumaya Panigrahi Foundation, a well known socio-cultural organisation of Ganjam district, celebrated “Kumara Punei Jahna lo-2014” and held a prize giving and felicitation ceremony here.
Thousands of artists, music lovers, singers and athletes attended the event. Kendriya Sahitya Academy awardee Amiyabala Pattnaik inaugurated it as chief guest. She said Ganjam district is acclaimed for its great heritage and culture world over; its numerous folk forms are unique. She praised the effort of the foundation to revive some of the old folk dances of the district which are slowly dying due to lack of due patronage.
Mumbai Odiya Association president Bhagaban Panda who attended as guest of honor too appreciated the effort of the foundation in organizing the event every year to revive and popularize the traditional folk dances of the district.
The cultural shows began with “Atithi Devo Bhava”, a unique audio visual programme on stage. The others that followed included recitation of folk songs, traditional “Sankha Nada” by Rajendra Patra and group of Narendrapur, “Krushnarpan” –Abahani Nrutya performed by Sushri Samhita of Brahmapur, “Bharat Natyam” performed by Sutapa Awon Pradhan, a national award winning dancer of Kolkata, “Amruta Sangeeta” sung by Sujit Kumar of Mumbai, known as the junior Kishore Kumar and Odissi dance by internationally acclaimed danseuse Kavita Dwibedi of New Delhi.
Traditional female folk dance “Thia Puchi Naranga” (dance ballet) was staged by the winners of the rural women sports competition held at the Khallikote College stadium here on October 2. The dance was choreographed by Jayanta Acharya, while music was given by the well known musician Aswini Kumar Mahapatra. Similarly, “Dulduli”, one of the most vibrant folk dances of the State, was performed by Pancham Group of Balangir.
On the occasion, the foundation felicitated well known social activist linkan Subudhi, singer Sujit Kumar and athlete Shrabani Nanda.
The event was coordinated by advocate Prafulla Jagannath Padhi. Among others, Dr Mihir Kumar Tripathy, Dillip Kumar Chaudhury, Rajendra Prasad Padhi, Bhaskar Maharana, Manoj Kumar Samal, Sisir Kumar Samantary, Bijaya Kumar Adhikari, Kabiraj Gouda, Rajendra Patra, Manorama Moharana, Haraprasad Pattjoshi, Durgaprasad Panda, Prakash Pattnaik, Tripati Balaji Patra, Bhaskar Maharana, S Panigrahi and several eminent artists, scribes and social workers were present.