Konark: The 35th edition of Konark Festival kicked off at the open air auditorium in the premises of the 13th century UNESCO world heritage site of magnificent Sun temple here in Puri district on Sunday.
The festival was inaugurated by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism, Women and Child Development and Mission Shakti Smt. Pravati Parida by lighting the ceremonial lamp.
The opening evening of the Konark Festival celebrated India’s rich classical dance traditions.
It has been a tradition of Konark Festival that the first presentation is an Odissi dance recital and the second item of the evening is any of Indian classical dance forms other than Odissi dance.
Following the tradition, the evening commenced with an Odissi dance recital by the students of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, Bhubaneswar.The Odissi performance began with a soulful invocation to Lord Jagannath, based on Sri Jagannath Astakam by Adi Shankaracharya. It transitioned into “Bhavranga” and “Shakti,” narrating tales of divine power and the dynamic energy of Lord Shiva embodied in the feminine form of Shakti. The performance was masterfully choreographed by Guru Lingaraj Pradhan and Guru Pankaj Kumar Pradhan and music composed by Dr. Bijay Kumar Jena and Dr. Bijay Kumar Barik.
The dancers, all are gifted with a well-chiseled body, exhibited technical brilliance, instantly striking a chord with the audience.
The evening continued with the Kathak dance recital, Nartan Manjari, performed by Smt. Malti Shyam’s group from New Delhi, celebrating the eternal bond between the divine and the devotee through intricate rhythms and fluid movements. The dance was choreographed by Smt. Malti Shyam.
The dancers’ space management and the joy of dancing from within were to be seen to be believed.
The event was attended by eminent personalities, including MP Jagatsinghpur Bibhu Prasad Tarai, MLA Pipili Ashrit Pattanayak, MLA Satyabadi Om Prakash Mishra, MLA Brahmagiri Smt. Upasana Mahapatra, MLA Kakatpur Tusharkanti Behera, Commissioner-cum-Secretary Tourism Balwant Singh, Director Tourism Samarth Verma, Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain, and SP Puri Vineet Agarwal.
The five-day festival is being hosted by Odisha Tourism in collaboration with Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi (OSNA) and Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC).
Simultaneously, the 14th International Sand Art Festival transformed the pristine Chandrabhaga Beach into a canvas of creativity. Featuring 129 celebrated sand artists, including 8 international participations from the UK, Mexico, Germany, Japan, Russia, Portugal, Spain, and Sri Lanka, the festival highlighted this year’s thematic masterpieces alongside contributions from national artists representing Odisha and seven other Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. A total of 35 Sand Art Creations were made on the themes of Women Empowerment, Odia Ashmita and World Heritage and Monuments.
To ensure greater reach, the Konark Festival is being live streamed across Odisha Tourism’s social media platforms and telecast live on DD Bharati from December 1 to 5.
Photo courtesy: Odisha Tourism
