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Revival of Dhumpa on the cards

BHUBANESWAR: The dying folk arts form of ‘Dhumpa’ has finally found a saviour in the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC), Kolkata, one of the regional units under the Ministry of Culture. EZCC has sanctioned its special programme for revival and promotion of ‘Dhumpa’ at Khandapara under its ‘guru-shishya parampara’ scheme.

The scheme has been launched by the Ministry to groom new talents in the age-old guru-shishya parampara (students staying with the teachers) through all the seven zonal cultural centres of the country, explained the EZCC programme coordinator Tapas Samantray.

Under the programme, each guru is extended financial support for one year to run the training programme with four disciples.

While the guru gets an honorarium of Rs.2,000 per month, the students receive Rs.500 each and the accompanying musicians, where required, get Rs.900 per month, he added.

The objective of the scheme is to help the students in taking up the art as a profession, he explained.

Dhumpa exponents Kalandi Charan Rath and Gangadhar Dash would train four young disciples under the newly launched programme.

Samantray further informed that the EZCC has already adopted seven such marginalised forms of Orissa under the scheme - rod puppet theatre, wood carving, Pala, Paika Akhada, Gotipua dance and Sambalpuri dance.

Although the scheme is normally offered for one year, it is being extended for another year for the gurus whose students show excellence in their training, Samantray said and added that at the end of the first year, the grantee gurus are being invited to give public performances at Bharatiyam cultural complex of the EZCC in Kolkata.

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