Konark: The second evening of the ongoing Konark Festival 2022 at the open-air auditorium on the premises of the Sun Temple with the magnificent Sun Temple forming the backdrop on Friday witnessed presentation of two classical dance forms- Manipuri and Odissi.
After the customary lighting of the ceremonial lamp ceremony attended by Hon’ble Justice Orissa High Court Mr. Jaswant Singh, Ambassador of Nepal to India HE Dr. Shankar Prasad Sharma and Director General of Police Mr. Sunil Kumar Bansal, the cultural evening started with Manipuri dance recital.
L. Upendro Sharma & Group of Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy from Imphal presented a dance recital on Vasanta Raas.The performance was based on celebration of Holi, the festival of colours, showcasing the mythological story depicted on Shri Krishna and the Gopis led by Radha.
The second half of the evening saw enchanting Odissi performances by Meera Das & Group of Gunjan Dance Academy of Cuttack. The troupe presented Soorya Stutee, Pallavi and Sei Ramani. Conceptualised by Shri Kedar Mishra and choregrahed b Guru Smt. Meera Das, the recitals had music composition by Late Sumanta Mohanty, Guru Sri Swapneswar Chakraborty and Guru Sri Srinibas Satapathy and rhythm composition by Guru Satchidananda Das.
During the day, sand artists at Chandrabhaga Beach worked through sculptures of the golden sand on themes of ‘Odisha: The Sports Capital of India’ and ‘Women Empowerment’.
Director Tourism Mr. Sachin R. Jadhav, SP Puri Mr. Vishal Singh and Chairman Kalinga Hospitals Bhubaneswar Dr. S.K. Dash were among other dignitaries attending the festival.
Photo courtesy: Odisha Tourism
