Cuttack: Only a handful of people participated in the Patha Utsav, a street festival, organised by the district administration to add more colours to the annual Baliyatra here Wednesday.
Lack of proper publicity for the Patha Utsav was blamed for the poor turnout at the event.
On the first day of the event, around 130 artistes performed Sankirtan, a devotional programme. A few artistes also entertained the people with Ghoda Nacha, a traditional dance.
A group led by Sanjay Satpathy recited Bhagawat at the venue while at least 25 artistes played the Mrudang, traditional drums. Child artiste Tanushree Jena performed on some popular songs of Hindi movies.
Members of Patanjali Trust created awareness on Yoga as a medium to get rid of many diseases. This apart, a group of trainees from Odisha Roller Skating Association displayed their skills at the event.
The street festival will be organised every morning till November 19, said an official of the district administration.
Cleanliness drive at fairground
Members of Indian Red Cross society and students from a few schools and colleges undertook a cleanliness drive at the fairground, Wednesday. Collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani was seen removing garbage along with other volunteers. “The district administration has introduced several measures to keep the Baliyatra ground clean. People from all walks of life should co-operate with us in this initiative,” Chayani said.