Sankirtan Mahotsav
Photos courtesy: Odisha Tourism
May 31, 2012
Bhubaneswar stirred with splashes of devotion during the three-day
Sankirtan Mahotsav that started with a colourful procession of 800
artistes from across Odisha from Ram Mandir Square to Rabindra Mandap.
The State Tourism and Culture Department boosted this art form through a
festival from 25th to 27th May 2012 organised by Odisha Sangeet Natak
Academy. The Sankirtan artistes from across Odisha flooded the city with
great fervour and their eagerness and excitement was infectious.
It is said out of 9 ways of offering devotion or Nabadha Bhakti, Kirtana
or Sankirtan is the best medium to feel the divine presence. Apart from
this, being the most widespread rural based popular art form, Sankirtan
creates a spiritual awakening among the masses and establishes a strong
bonding of peace, bliss, cultural amity and friendship. The theme of
presentation mainly centers round the Vaishnavite devotional pieces and
episodes from mythology and puranas. The Sankirtan party from Manipur
sponsored by EZCC regaled the audience with their varied presentations
with intricacies of foot and body movements punctuated with acrobatic
postures. The enchanting rhythm generally started with slow beats and
gradually reached the crescendo. The inaugural day witnessed four groups
from Sambalpur, Angul, Ganjam and Manipur.
Nadia Kirtan and Odishi Kirtan enchanted the audience on the second day
of Sankirtan Utsav that witnessed a colourful and rhythmic ensemble of
endemic percussions Mrudanga and Khola accompanied by Jhanja and Kartala
(brass metalic clapping instruments and cymbals). Sankirtan artistes
Ajay Kumar Das and group from Athagarh, Cuttack, Kusabihari Samal and
group from Hindol, Dhenkanal, Gangadhar Nayak and group from Arisal,
Khurda and Sampa Mishra and group from Kolkata performed. The atmosphere
was permeated with spiritual flavour and fervour and captivated the
audience throughout.
The concluding evening featured Sankirtan by Bichitrananda Paikaray and
group from Bhubaneswar, Harihara Satapathy and group from Gumagad,
Kandhamal, Bishnucharan Mohapatra and group from Sathilo, Jagatsinghpur
and Madan Mohan Dash and group from Khandapada, Nayagarh. The three-day
Sankirtan Mahotsav ignited in the Sankirtan lovers a sense of spritual
awakening and cultural amity and left an indelible impact in the minds
of the art lovers of Bhubaneswar.
Many dignitaries like Prafulla Kumar Samal (Hon’ble Minister, Tourism
& Culture), Ashok Kumar Tripathy (Principal Secrertary, Tourism and
Culture), Susil Kumar Das (Director, Culture), Sarat Pujari (President,
Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy), Aruna Mohanty (Vice President, OSNA) and
Chitta Ranjan Mallia (Secretary, OSNA) attended the festival.
|
