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‘Gajapati Utsav’ begins

BERHAMPUR: ‘Gajapati Utsav’ a district-level cultural festival of Gajapati district was inaugurated at the district headquarter town of Paralakhemundi on Thursday by Union Minister of State for Rural Development Chandrasekhar Sahu.

MLAs Bharat Paika and Trinath Sahu besides, Zilla Parishad President Y.Ramchandra Rao attended the inaugural function.

The cultural festival will continue till Saturday.

A torch was brought by a group of athletes from Mahendragiri, which is the highest hill in the district, to the venue of the festival.

Cultural festivals on a smaller scale were organised at the panchayat and block-levels in the district before holding the grand celebration at Paralakhemundi.

These festivals also open doors for the artists of folk dance and music in rural areas. These rural talents will perform in this cultural festival as well. An exhibition of traditional handicrafts ‘Pallishree Mela’ with 112 stalls erected near the venue of the festival has been a special attraction.

Food stalls and joy rides for children added the spirit of mela to the festival.

Cultural troupes from outside the State were also performing at this festival. On the inaugural evening, troupes from Geetika Music College and Manoranjan Club of West Bengal performed musical dance dramas. A ballet was performed by Utkal Hiteswini Samaj.

But Ekalavya, a dance-drama based on tribal dance and music, performed by a cultural troupe from Ramagiri drew larger audience.

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