Bhubaneswar: The rainy and humid weather could not dampen the spirits of art enthusiasts at the 92nd Ekamra Walks Old Town Circuit with visitors thronging to witness the Kalingan architecture, here Sunday.
Blogger, doctor and bureaucrat Karan Choudhary who with his friend Gopal Dhaka participated in the Walks could not comprehend that despite having so many monuments, each a specimen of intricate craftsmanship, Bhubaneswar is still not a “Heritage City.”
“I have seen many cities with lesser monumental wealth and variety, but though enriched with the bounty, Bhubaneswar is yet to get the tag. All stakeholders must work in a coordinated manner to achieve this as the city has got a huge potential to attract visitors from around the globe,’’ he said.
Settled in New Delhi, Choudhary was told about the Walks by one of his friends in the city. “My other friends were also telling me on various occasions about the Walks, which has become famous in the City of Temples. I really had a nice time enjoying the walk and learning many things on Kalingan architecture and the unique temple building style, but I think there is more to be done to make the city a mega tourism circuit,’’ he added.
Aparna Menon, a post-graduate student from AIIMS Bhubaneswar, who was part of the walk, said, “Today was my second trip to Old Town and I enjoyed a lot. I would definitely request my friends in AIIMS to participate in the Walks and also join the other two walks at Kala Bhoomi, Udayagiri and Khandagiri.”
PVL Srinivas, associate professor in Department of Drama in Utkal University of Culture, who is a regular at all the three heritage walks across the city, said, “More and more educational institutions should be roped in through teen or youth engagement programmes so that more participation would happen. This would give a feel of heritage city to the younger generation and many of them can work for heritage conservation in future.”
Swati Dutta, from Kolkata and a post-graduate student of Visual Arts in Utkal University of Culture, said, “The heritage experience would give students of art and architecture a wonderful experience. I was also delighted to explore the medicinal plant garden on the western bank of Bindusagar and was happy to know that it has more than 200 varieties of useful plants.”
MUSEUM WALK
Forty walkers joined the Museum Walk in the afternoon as visitors from various age groups came to Kala Bhoomi and explored the art and craft treasure of the state. They had a glimpse of terracotta, wood, stone, metal, art and craft, tribal art, pre weaving technique and saree galleries.