— Photo: Lingaraj Panda

IN-SYNC: The dance drama `Suna Mayura' on wildlife conservation in progress at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Ganjam Kala Parishad in Berhampur.

BERHAMPUR: Children enacted a `Geeti Natya' and `Suna Mayur' on wildlife conservation written on the lines of traditional Oriya folklore at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Ganjam Kala Parishad in the city.

Sakuntala Patnaik wrote this lyrical play that adhered to the tenets of traditional `Geeti Natya'. But the theme was quite modern in the form of a children's story. It depicted a kingdom where the king holds contests among hunters. After some years even the best hunters do not get a prize catch. An artist reaches the king at that time with the picture of a golden peacock, which he claims to have seen inside a jungle. The king sets out with his daughter to catch the golden peacock but never finds it. The princess however gets a revelation in a dream in which she experiences the vagaries of being a wild animal. She compels her father to end hunting in their kingdom.

Getting through

The director of the play, Balgopal Satpathy used Odissi as well as Sambalpuri folk dance for this `Geeti Natya'. Dance students of Ganjam Kala Parishad and students of Taxila Residential School enacted this lyrical play. This play was earlier highly applauded at the State level Children's Drama festival held at Balasore this year by the Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi. According to Mr. Satpathy it was his attempt to make young children aware of wildlife conservation through a story and format that would interest the tender minds.

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