Preparations On For International Folk Art Exhibition In Odisha’s Barkul

Berhampur: Preparations are going on at brisk pace for ‘International Folk Art and Painting Exhibition’ scheduled to be held for one month from December 9 to January 9 in Purvasa Folk and Tribal Art Museum at Barkul near Chilika lake.

Stating this, vice-chairman of the museum Sudhir Kumar Rout said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is scheduled to inaugurate the exhibition.

The museum, developed by Society for Development of Rural Literature, a non-profit cultural society, on sprawling five acre of land, was opened in 2017. It plays a significant role in promoting, protecting and projecting state’s cultural heritage at a global platform.

The museum is the brainchild of former senior member of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Prasanna Das who promotes and organises folk art festivals every year, said Sudhir.

The museum has 16 galleries and many artifacts of Ganjam. Forum for Ganjam (FFG), an organisation spearheading a movement for the interest of the district, has sponsored one of its galleries dedicated to the artifacts of Ganjam.

It has different types of folk and tribal artifacts and handicraft items like masks, brass works, wooden crafts, stone carving and bamboo arts, horn arts and pattachitra. The centre has an amphitheatre where the audience can enjoy live performances of folk music and dance. It also has a research and documentation centre to conduct research on rural art, culture and literature, Sudhir said.