Kharavela: Culture cauldron
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Besides being a multi-product exhibition, the Kharavela festival also played host to a seven-day extravaganza of music and dance.
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Cultural events were the staple of the festival.
THE FOOTHILLS of the twin hills of Khandagiri and Udaygiri came alive for seven days with a riot of dance and music.
The festival, named after the all-conquering emperor Kharavela of the erstwhile Kalinga (2nd Century BC), who was also a great patron of arts, dance and music, has been organised by the K.N. Memorial Foundation since the last three years to give a platform to the rich heritage of Orissa and to promote tourism, the twin hills with their rock-cut caves being a major tourist attraction.
Kharavela festival is made to coincide with the colourful Magha Saptami fair and that ensures a large audience comprising common men and connoisseurs alike.
The seven-day event, that highlighted Orissa's handloom, handicrafts, cuisine, sand art and martial arts, had cultural programmes as its staple, with a galaxy of artistes from different parts of the country performing here before a large gathering.
The `veda patha' and `sankha dhwani' marked an auspicious beginning to the cultural programmes.
While there were Odissi dance recitals every evening, both solo and group, some of the highlights were the Odissi dance ballet by Guru Nabakishore Mishra's `Abarta', `Bhadrakalishtaka' by Guru Pitambar Biswal's troupe, `Basantarasa' by Guru Niranjan Rout's group and the solo performance of Ranjana Gauhar, whose dance and abhinay items captivated the audience. Ghoomer, Bhojpuri, Purulia Chhow and Bihu took care of the folk segment besides Kathak and Bharatnatyam recitals.
Prominent in the latter dance forms were young Souvik Chakroborty's Kathak group performance, Kuchipudi ballet `Sri Krishna Parijatham ' by Vempathi Ravishankar and troupe of Kuchipudi Art Academy, `Dasavatar' by Sarvaraya Educational Trust and Bharatnatyam by Anita Mallik of Saraswata Sanskriti Kendra, Kolkata.
Creative dance by Sudarshan Chakroborty added a different flavour to the festival as did `Pandavani' by Usha Barley from Chhattisgarh. A seminar on Kalingan empire and king Kharavela's contributions formed a part of the festival and was a treat for the scholars and intellectuals.
BIBHUTI MISHRA
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