Expressbuzz, April 1, 2010
Shyamhari Chakra
LIKE THE the annual car festival of Lord Jagannath in Puri, Lord Lingaraj, the presiding deity of Ekamra Kshetra - the ancient name for Bhubaneswar - has the annual Ashokastami celebrations with a car festival that pulls huge crowd of pilgrims. In a bid to make it more attractive for the pilgrims and tourists, Lingaraj Mahotsav, an annual arts festival , was launched four years ago by Ekamra S ams krutika Prakashani, a local cultural forum.
Spanning over six evenings and staged at the Lingaraj bhajan mandap near the temple complex, the just concluded fourth edition of the event, presented a panorama of Orissa’s popular arts practices – both traditional and classical – apart from Kuchipudi dance of Andhra Pradesh and an overdose of creative dances by troupes coming from Kolkata.
Bhadrak’s age old Moghul Tamasha, a unique initiative for Hindu-Muslim unity, was the principal attraction of the festival while Ghoda Nacha (horse dance) presentation by Orissa’s best known exponent Utsav Das won hearts with its on-the-spot improvisation of the narratives. The audience was also offered a treat with the two ancient ritualistic dance forms that inspired creation of Odissi dance – Mahari and Gotipua. Guru Pankaj Charan Odissi Research Foundation and Nakshatra Gurukul presented the shows respectively. The unmasked Chhau dance of Mayurbhanj staged by Mayur Art Centre, Bhubaneswar was also captivating.
The more musical and enchanting folk dances of western Orissa region - Sambalpuri, Bajashal – and Kalahandi’s famous Ghumura dances entertained the audience.
The Department of Culture of Orissa Government sponsored the troupes. Similarly, the Song and Drama Division deputed a number of creat ive and folk dance troupes of West Bengal while Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkata also sponsored troupes. Kuchipudi presentation by L.Ravi Kumar’s troupe from Visakhapatanam was the best among the troupes invited from outside Orissa.
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