Spectacular Odissi & Manipuri Performances Light Up Konark Festival

Konark: The delicate and classical Manipuri dance form and Odisha’s very own Odissi were in focus on the second day of the Konark Festival 2022.

After the ceremonial lamp was lit by Justice Jaswant Singh of Orissa High Court, Ambassador of Nepal to India Dr Shankar Prasad Sharma and Director General of Police Sunil Kumar Bansal, there were mesmerising performances of Manipuri and Odissi dance recitals on Friday.

L Upendro Sharma and group from Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal. performed a dance recital on Vasanta Raas. Based on Holi, the performance showcased mythological story depicted on Krishna and the Gopis, led by Radha.

The second half of the show saw enchanting Odissi performances by Meera Das and group from Gunjan Dance Academy, Cuttack. The troupe performed Soorya Stutee, Pallavi and Sei Ramani. Conceptualised by Shri Kedar Mishra and choreographed by Guru Meera Das, the recitals had music composition by Late Sumanta Mohanty, Guru Swapneswar Chakraborty and Guru Srinibas Satapathy and rhythm composition by Guru Satchidananda Das.

Sand artists at Chandrabhaga Beach worked through sculptures of the golden sand on themes of ‘Odisha: The Sports Capital of India’ and ‘Women Empowerment’.

Director Tourism Sachin R Jadhav, SP Puri Vishal Singh and Chairman Kalinga Hospitals (Bhubaneswar) Dr S K Dash were among other dignitaries who attended the festival.