Konark Festival celebrates rich classical dance traditions

Konark: The annual Konark Dance Festival and International Sand Art Festival began in Puri district on Sunday. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi inaugurated the festival, an annual event marking the beginning of tourist season in Odisha.

Majhi, along with Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who is also in-charge of the Tourism department, lighted the ceremonial lamp. The five-day festival is being hosted by Odisha Tourism in collaboration with Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi (OSNA) and Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC).

The opening evening of the Konark Festival celebrated India’s rich classical dance traditions. The event commenced with an Odissi dance recital by Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, Bhubaneswar, followed by Kathak performance by Malti Shyam and Group, New Delhi.

The Odissi performance began with a soulful invocation to Lord Jagannath, based on Sri Jagannath Astakam by Adi Shankaracharya. It transitioned into ‘Bhavranga’ and ‘Shakti’, narrating tales of divine power and the dynamic energy of Lord Shiva embodied in the feminine form of Shakti.

The performance was choreographed by Guru Lingaraj Pradhan and Guru Pankaj Kumar Pradhan and music composed by Bijay Kumar Jena and Bijay Kumar Barik.

Kathak dance recital and Nartan Manjari were performed by Malti Shyam’s group from New Delhi, celebrating the eternal bond between the divine and the devotee through intricate rhythms and fluid movements.

The dance was choreographed by Malti Shyam.

Simultaneously, the 14th International Sand Art Festival transformed the pristine Chandrabhaga beach into a canvas of creativity.

It featured 129 celebrated sand artists, including eight international participations from the UK, Mexico, Germany, Japan, Russia, Portugal, Spain and Sri Lanka.

The festival highlighted this year’s thematic masterpieces alongside contributions from artists representing Odisha and seven other Indian States of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. A total of 35 sand art creations were made on the themes of women empowerment, Odia asmita (pride) and world heritage and monuments.

The Konark Festival is being live streamed across Odisha Tourism’s social media platforms and telecast live on DD Bharati from December 1 to 5.