Paralakhemundi: The two-day fourth Parala Mahotsav was successfully organised at Urban Bank Ground, Paralakhemundi, in Gajapati district on October 26 and 27.
The festival was organised by Shree Jagannath Odissi Kala Kendra, one of the leading Odissi dance institutions of the state, in association with the Department of Odia Language, Literature and Culture.
The inaugural evening was inaugurated by dignitaries including former MLA K. Narayana Rao, OSNA awardee music director Guru Pandit Raghunath Patra, District Culture Officer Archana Kumari Mangaraj and headmaster of Saraswati Sishu Mandir Saroj Panda. While the meeting was held under the chairman ship of the institution’s advisor Adarsha Das, president of the organizing committee Bichitrananda Bebarta were present on the dais.
D. Priyanka, secretary of the institution, presented the annual report of the festival.The guests lauded Shree Jagannath Odissi Kala Kendra for organizing the festival successfully and its unwavering effort to popularize Odissi dance. They also praised local artists who have showcased Gajapati district’s cultural heritage on international platforms.
On this occasion, Dr. Jitendranath Pattanayak, Chisato Miura, Riko Kojima, and Guru Sudipta Panda were felicitated with the Parala Pratibha Samman.
The cultural evening began with an Odissi dance drama ‘Sakshigopinath’, choreographed by Dr. Gajendra Panda and directed by D. Priyanka. The artistes excellent abhinaya, synchronisation and space management made the item enjoyable.
Japanese Odissi dancer Chisato Miura and her students performed impressive solo and group Odissi recitals, while Riko Kojima, also from Japan, captivated the audience with a Kuchipudi performance. Dancers from Tridhara, Bhubaneswar, led by Guru Dr. Gajendra Kumar Panda, presented ‘Lakshmi Nrusingha Dhyan’. Similarly, Guru Dr. Sudipta Panda and Mohit Kumar from Hyderabad performed Odissi duets and solos, leaving the art lovers mesmerised.
On the second evening, guru Dr Gajendra Kumar Panda, educationist Durga Prasad Padhi, former Municipality Chairman Nrusingha Charan Pattnayak and District Child Protection Officer Arun Tripathy lit the auspicious lamp. Festival’s organizing committee president Bichitrananda Bebarta, secretary D. Priyanka, and advisor Adarsha Das also shared the dais.
Firdousi Tabassum from UDRA Foundation, Bhubaneswar, honoured all guests and performers with Pattachitra artworks to promote the traditional art.
The evening opened with a traditional ‘Guru Puja’ performed by the artistes of Shree Jagannath Odissi Kala Kendra, followed by Mahari, Odissi, and Sambalpuri dance presentations. Arupanjali Mohanty, coordinator of the institution and Pinky Jha from Bhubaneswar coordinated the cultural segment efficiently.
D. Mohan Rao, Balakrishna Panigrahi, Brajaraj Behera, Rashmita Panda, Kalyani Pujari, Jayanti Panigrahi, Rajesh Patra, Bishnu Panda, and Nishigandha Pujari need special mention for smoothly organising the festival.
