A three-day festival of folk dance and music concluded at the Utkal Mandap here on Saturday gaining huge applause. Inaugurating the festival, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “Odisha is a land of art and culture and art is the soul of our State.” Folk dance, song, and dance drama help the State create a unique place in the world.” “We have many talents in our villages and traditional folk art is now alive for their dedication and devotion,” Patnaik said, adding that artists’ sacrifice is incomparable. He hinted at formation of a Nagara Kalakara Sangha. Around 500 artists from 10 districts including their cultural troupes presented their performances in evenings.
In the inaugural evening, artists dressed in colourful attires enthralled the audience with performance of Jodi Sankha, which is a unique folk dance of Ganjam district. Showing their lung power, which is an extreme talent, they blew double conches with rhythms of dance. The dying dance and song is gradually gaining popularity among people through such festivals. Performances of Ramaleela, Sankirtan, Paika Aakhada, adivasi dance, Sanchara dance, Ghumura, Chhau, Sambalpuri and Dhangada Dhangadi also captivated the audience in the inaugural evening.
The second day featured Mughal Tamasha, a distinct form of folk theatre of Bhadrak district. The dance drama is a tale of Bansiballav Goswami. The genre that was quite popular among Hindus and Muslims for its message of communal harmony was enacted by members of both the communities and five languages were used in its dialogues and songs, i.e., Parsi, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali and Odia. The drama was based on the visit of a Mughal emperor (referred to as Mirza Sahib) to collect revenue in Bhadrak.
Ghanta Badya of Anugul district, Singha Badya of Nabarangpur, Adivasi dance of Rayagada and Saura dance of Gajapati district also had spellbinding effects on the audience in the evening. In the third evening, the artists of Subarnpur district opened the stage with Sambalpuri dance. They showcased the procedure of marriage of their area. The Bonda dance of Malkanagiri district, the Gana Baaja of Nuapada and the Dhemsha and Chadheya and Chadheyani dances were also great attractions for the viewers. During the performances in the festival, the audiences couldn’t stop themselves shaking their hands, legs and heads with the rhythms.