BHUBANESWAR: Ben Lenzner from New York City and Francisco Sanchez from Barcelona participated in the Ekamra Walks here Friday.
Ben, a documentary film maker and storyteller feels participating in the Monks, Caves and Kings on early Saturday morning ‘guarantees satisfaction’. He joined the Jain heritage walk with his Pune-based photographer wife Shraddha Borawake.
Francisco Sanchez from Barcelona, Spain, who is in city for an IT-based project for two weeks with Software Technology Parks of India also felt very happy and enthusiastic after participating in the 66th Monks, Caves and Kings heritage trail of Ekamra Walks.
Apart from the foreigners, Mumbai-based traveller, heritage and culture enthusiast Nandan Mangaokar also termed the experience with the Monks, Caves and Kings as ‘excellent’ and also observed that looking at all the angles from its social media reach, web presence and a successful public private partnership (PPP) model, Ekamra Walks would one of the best curated heritage walks across the nation.
Odissi dancer, researcher, cinematographer and documentary filmmaker Yamini Makeshwar, who is currently doing research on community-based dance forms and local cultures of Odisha and a regular at Ekamra Walks termed today’s visit as another learning experience.
Participating in the discussion on the depiction of an old dance scene inside Rani Gumpha (ground floor) on Udayagiri, Yamini said “Ancient texts have the reference of ‘Oddra’ dance which could be the precursor of modern Odissi.’’
Ritika Acharya, a friend of Yamini and Odissi dancer is a TV show host and anchor with leading channels of India. She said, “I learnt Odissi from London at Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan. Today’s heritage walk was a fantastic experience with a lot of learning on Odisha’s past and its rich cultural traditions.’’