Report by OD bureau, Bhubaneswar: The tourism and culture department has lined up a month-long cultural extravaganza that includes a Pala and Daskathia Utsav from July 19 to 21, a Megha Utsav from August 9 to 11 and a Bharatiyam event on August 15, the Independence Day.

Director of culture Sushil Kumar Das told media that eminent artists would perform at the three events to be organised by the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi at the Rabindra Mandap here.

As many as nine groups would perform Pala and Daskathia, two rich traditions of ballad singing in the State which blend literature, music, dance and theatrical performance influencing the masses for about last 300 years.

Renowned artists including Ramachandra Das, Bholanath Tripathy, Iswar Chandra Tripathy, Purna Chandra Nayak, Raghunath Sharma and Indramani Mohanty would be felicitated during the events.

The Megha Utsav would combine literary, musical, visual and performing arts on one platform to celebrate the monsoon rains, which have inspired great poets like Kalidas, Jayadev, Upendra Bhanja and Gangadhar Meher, Das said.

The Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi, in association with the GKCM Odissi Research Centre, would organise a dance and music programme. The Lalit Kala Akademi, in association with the Odisha Sahitya Akademi, would also sponsor an artistes’ camp and a poets’ meet where eminent artists and poets both from the State and outside would exchange ideas and share experiences, he said.

The Bharatiyam would commemorate the Independence Day and inculcate patriotism among schoolchildren. A patriotic song competition would be held for school students at the Bhanja Kala Mandap here in the next few days.