Bhubaneswar: A unique festival, in which top practitioners and scholars of music, dance, drama, folk, tribal arts will participate, will kick off Tuesday at Rabindra Mandap and Bhanja Kala Mandap. The cultural festival, which will continue till July 14, will host both renowned legendary and young artistes of the country.
The event, Shreshta Bharat Sanskriti Samagam, was announced by Sangeet Natak Akademi, the national academy of music, dance and drama, at a press meet held at Panthanivas, here Monday.
Briefing media persons, Sangeet Natak Akademi chairman Shekhar Sen said, the first half of each day of the festival would be devoted to seminar sessions with corresponding performances in the second half of the day.
The first day would be devoted to music, followed by dance, drama and tribal arts. “Bhubaneswar is rich in culture and many historical events took place here. So, we have chosen this place for the festival,” he said.
Sangeet Natak Akademi has played a key role in creating and reinforcing awareness about various aspects of performing arts and stimulating fresh thinking among the practitioners through several major expositions held all over the country.
Artistes like Ajay Chakrabarty, Shruti Sadolikar Katkar, Vidyadhar Vyas, Sharad Sathe, Mysore Manjunath, Ramhari Das, Gopal Prasad, Dulal Roy and others will perform in the festival.
Classical vocalist Ajay Chakrabarty said, “An event of this nature can be successfully organised only with the participation and support of the state government as well as other agencies and individuals committed to the preservation and promotion of traditional arts. We are glad and grateful that Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department, Government of Odisha, and the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi have helped us in this regard. We hope music lovers will enjoy the festival.”
Pan-India cultural extravaganza in City from today
