Dhauli: The 17th edition of three-day long Dhauli-Kalinga Mahotsav kick started at the foothill of Dhauli Shanti Stupa, Bhubaneswar Saturday.
The inaugural item was an Odissi recital by the talented dancers of Orissa Dance Academy lead by Guru Aruna Mohanty got off to a colourful start with an invocation peace of ten incarnation of Lord Vishnu “Dashabatra” (Jaya Jagadisha Hare). The choreographic vision and interpretation was made by Dr. Subas Pani, dance choreographed by Guru Smt. Sharmila Biswas. The presentation cast a spell on the audience.
The following item was a Kathak Dance by Upasana Centre for Dance, Kolkata lead by Guru Ashimbandhu Bhattacharjee. They presented “Pratibimba” where man finds his myriad identities reflected. It is indeed one of the choreographic brilliance of Ashimbandhu Bhattacharjee.
The concluding item of the evening was a Mayurbhanj style Chhau dance presentation by the students of Aangika led by Guru Sadashiva Pradhan. The students of Aangika presented “Kapata Katha” a tale of deceit, compilation of war episodes from the great epic Mahabharata. The presentation showing different war strategies of ancient India gave the connoisseurs an engaged viewing experience.
The inaugural evening had the dignitaries like Development Commissioner-cum-ACS Pradeep Kumar Jena, eminent Odissi dancer and former vice chancellor, Sambalpur University, Dr. Priyambada Mohanty Hejmadi, Principal Secretary, Odia Language, Literature & Culture Bishnupada Sethi, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Vishal Kumar Deb; Director, Tourism Sachin Ramachandra Jadhav; Chairman-cum-Managing Director, National Aluminum Company, Sridhar Patra; secretary, Orissa Dance Academy, Guru Aruna Mohanty and secretary, Art Vision, Guru Ileana Citaristi. The programme was anchored by Dr. En. Srinivas Ghatuari and Nazia Sayeed.
The festival is organised by Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha and Orissa Dance Academy in association with Art Vision. The main objective for organizing this festival is to preserve, promote and popularize the heritage at the national and international level.
The festival was Live in DD-Bharat and live streaming in Odisha Tourism Facebook, Twitter and Youtube page.
By kalasanskruti
Photo courtesy: Odisha Tourism
