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‘Tala-Vadya Utsav' to begin today

BHUBANESWAR: The stage is set for the 10th annual ‘Tala-Vadya Utsav' (festival of percussion music) at Rabindra Mandap in the capital on Wednesday evening. Being hosted by Mardal Academy, Governor M.C.Bhandare is scheduled to inaugurate it.

Briefing the media about the event, Akademi awardee mardal exponent and Mardal Academy's founder-president Guru Banamali Moharana maintained that while the Academy seeks to highlight the strength and beauty of Orissa's indigenous percussion instrument of mardal, the festival brings together a variety of percussion instruments on a single platform that had made it unique. “We also honour a veteran percussionist every year with Tala-Vadya Samman and tabla exponent Pandit Umesh Chandra Kar shall be conferred the honour this year,” he added.

The festival this year features solo recital by Kolkata-based young and acclaimed female tabla player Rimpa Siva. “She was known as a child prodigy who accompanied legendary flutist Hariprasad Chaursaia when she was just 14,” informed Guru Moharana. Besides, the Academy would present two budding female mardal players – Puspika and Shilpika – this year. “Playing the percussion instrument was always considered as a man's profession and to break that myth we are presenting three women percussionists this year,” he reasoned out. Three veteran percussionists – Khol exponent Dhanurdha Reddy, dhol exponent Prabhudutta Pradhan and mardal exponent Harihar Panda – shall present a unique group presentation during the evening. Besides, the Academy shall also stage its group presentation with 11 percussionists led by Bijay Barik, added Academy's secretary Sachidananda Das.

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