Berhampur: Gopalpur Beach Festival took off at the sea-side resort with blowing of twin-conch shells, rhythmic sounds of cymbals and folk dances on Thursday.
The four-day festival, organised by Gopalpur beach festival committee in collaboration with the state government, will continue till January 28. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the festival in virtual mode.
The star attraction of the inaugural day was Bollywood singer Sanam Puri who mesmerised the audience with his enthralling performance. Artists of Nupur, Pragyana Nrutyan Kendra, Jagannath Kala Niketan, Killer Beats Dance Academy, Star Icon Academy, Maa Mangala Paika Akhada, Kala Bikas Kendra of Koraput and Bhubaneswar also performed.
During the festival at Gopalpur sea beach in Ganjam district, people will be treated to performance of singers, dancers including folk and classical as well as modern from Odisha and outside.
Pallishree Mela is also organised by the state government on the occasion showcasing wooden, ayurvedic, terracotta and textile items from across the country. Around 300 stalls including 5o from outside Ganjam have been opened at the venue.
Berhampur Police has made elaborate security arrangements for the Gopalpur Beach Festival. “We have made all kinds of arrangements including the traffic management. At least 10 platoons of police force have been deployed at the venue to avoid any untoward incident,” said Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M.
The beach festival provides a stage to promote Odisha’s cultural heritage and expand the tourism potential of Gopalpur and other picturesque locations of Ganjam. The first Gopalpur Beach Festival was started in 1996 by Ganjam District Hotel Association to promote tourism and culture.
The concept of Gopalpur Beach Festival was conceived by Uma Shankar Panigrahi and V Santosh Kumar, president and secretary of the Association respectively. The festival became a success with the support of district administration which later took over the charge.
Ganjam collector Dibyajyoti Parida presided the function of the festival’s inaugural evening. Berhampur MP Chandra Sekhar Sahu, State Planning Board member Ramesh Chandra Chau Patnaik, Berhampur MLA Bikram Panda, Chatrapur MLA Subash Chandra Behera, Gopalpur NAC Chairman A Janaki Ram and others also attended the inaugural function.
