Report by Saumya Parida; Bhubaneswar: Gone are the days when Pala & Daskathia, the popular ballads of Odisha being one of the prominent educative and entertaining medium across the villages that dorminated the cultural milieu of the State. These ballads elegantly blended with literature, music, dance, rhythm and humour present myths, episodes from the epics, the Ramayan and the Mahabharat and from other folk traditions & social cultural events.

To promote the tradition of Pala & Daskathia, Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy organised three-day-long State Level Pala & Daskathia Utsav with the patronage of the Department of Tourism & Culture, Government of Odisha. The evening’s first programme was Daskathia presented by Shri Balakrushna Mishra and the co-artistes Shri Kunjabihari Dash from Sergarh, Ganjam. Shri Mishra enthralled the audience with the presentation of the episode the Salvation of Shabari by Lord Krishna .

This was followed by Pala of the renowned artiste Kumari Santilata Sahu. This lady artiste from Jagatsinghpur with her sweet renderings and narative skill appealed one and all. The Meditation of Lord Hanuman in Dwapara Yuga was presented by Kumari Sahu and her group to the thundering applause of the audience. The last programme was presented by the renowned Pala Gayaka Shri Judhisthira Parija from Balianta Khurda. Basing on the excerpts of the epics Shri Parija justified that every body is great in its own sphere because God has endowed his blessings on his creations.

The dignitaries who graced the occasion were Shri Prafulla Samal, Hon’ble Minister, Tourism & Culture, Shri Rajat Kar, President, All Odisha Pala Association, Shri Ashok Kumar Tripathy, IAS, Principal Secrertary, Tourism & Culture, Shri Susil Kumar Das, Director, Culture, Dr. Sarat Pujari, President, OSNA and Shri Chitta Ranjan Mallia, Secretary, OSNA. The programme was compered by Dr. Mrutyunjaya Rath.