Bhadrak: Pandit Narayan Chandra Panda is a well known pala artiste in the state. The 56-year-old pala singer, a resident of Kusunnagar in Daisingh panchayat of Bhadrak district, has been trying hard to revive the folk art.
“Pala is an art and is part of the culture of Odisha. These days, pala is disappearing from socio-cultural life,” Panda said.
Despite odds, Panda has managed to keep the pala culture alive on his own. His parents, the late Krushnachandra Panda and the late Shankari Dibya, encouraged him to take up pala singing.
Panda learnt the nuances of pala at the age of 14 from Phakir Charan Pada, a relative. Later, he honed his skills with Jagabandhu Panda (his father’s elder brother) at 16 and adopted him as his guru.
Panda has earned a name by performing pala on social awareness issues like consumer protection, Sarba Sikhya Abhiyan, family welfare, prevention of HIV infection, TB and measles sponsored by government departments.
Panda has sung in pala shows in Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar, Mayurbhnaj, Dhenkanal, Kalahandi, Jajpur, Cuttack and Puri districts. His style of pala singing has won accolades from viewers. Many socio-cultural organisations including the Bhadrak Chapter of Intach have feted him.
Apart from pala singing, Panda has written 20 plays, which were well received. As part of social work, he takes donations and organises thread ceremonies for poor Brahmin families.
Palmistry and horoscope reading have endeared him to locals. Every Saturday and Tuesday, people come to his house for reading horoscopes. He is the secretary of the Daising Panchayat Brahman Mahasabha. “There is a need for government support to revive pala in the state,” he said.
PNN