Other States - Orissa   

Folk art forms in State to get a fillip

BHUBANESWAR: Showing a silver line in the cloud over the future of several dying folk art forms of the State, three prominent cultural bodies have come forward to document, preserve and promote such endangered styles.

The Kolkata-based Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC), one of the nine regional centres under the Ministry of Culture, has adopted seven dying folk art practices of the State under its “guru-shishya parampara” programme that includes Gotipua dance, Sampalpuri dance, rod puppet theatre, Chhau dance, dhumpa and ranapa dance. Under the programme, exponents and gurus are encouraged to impart training to their disciples in the age-old practice of “guru-shishya parampara” in which the students stay with the teacher to master the art form, explained EZCC programme officer Tapas Samantray.

Apart from the guru, the disciples and accompanying musicians are being paid to pursue the arts practice for two years following which EZCC offers the troupes opportunities to perform in Kolkata to give them adequate exposure and publicity, he added.

While EZCC has been instrumental in revival of these endangered forms by providing patronage, Orissa Sangeet Natak Aakdemi (OSNA), the apex body of the State for performing arts, has its thrust on due documentation. The Akademi, in association with the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi and EZCC, has started a scheme to revitalise the four puppet theatre styles of the State. “Orissa is the only State in the country to have all the four styles of puppetry – string, shadow, rod and glove – and it is important to document these precious folk culture for posterity,” remarked OSNA secretary M.N.Satpathy. The Akademi will host a five-day festival in the Capital next month that will comprise performances, seminars and workshops on these four forms, he added.

The Department of Culture of the State has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the city-based Regional College of Management to promote the dying art forms of the State, informed deputy director B.D.Panda.

The latest support has come from the four-decade-old Bhubaneswar Music Circle (BMC) that has decided to patronise folk dance, music and theatre of the State. The BMC general secretary K.Patnaik told this newspaper that though the BMC was established to promote Indian classical music, its policy was modified recently to provide patronage for the dying arts practices of the State. “The BMC would host monthly cultural shows showcasing folk artists and the series has started with well-known “ghoda nacha” (horse dance) exponent Uchhab Chandra Das and his troupe”, he said.

The Department of Tourism has also mooted an annual folk dance festival for the city, informed festival officer P.K.Jena.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

SriLankan Airlines moots link to city
Folk art forms in State to get a fillip
Ushering in the Olympic Games
Stir over bridge hits traffic on highway
ECoR for tough measures to curb rail roko agitations
Angry mob ransacks Southco fuse call office
State increases home guards’ allowance
Rights panel pulls up police
Nursing students continue strike
Juveniles granted bail
Students take out rally
State lets down the poor: CPI(M)

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu