OdishaPlus Bureau
The 148th Ekamra Walks of Old Bhubaneswar Circuit had a unique tryst with Odissi as from the early morning when it started near the 10th Century Mukteswar Temple, the visitors had a special moment of learning the different poses of the statues from danseuse Purnata Mohanty as the special guest displayed the postures for the walkers.
The visitors were delighted to end the walk at Art Vision, the dance institute of renowned Odissi Guru Ileana Citaristi as her students showcased a beautiful session of the delicate Odissi.
The visitors at Mukteshwar were delighted to have Purnata and her Guru Pravat Swain of Nrutya Naivedya, BJB Nagar and the participants also tried some of the postures while the walk was underway within the premises of the temple.
All the participants witnessed the dancer showcase the ‘Tribhangi’ and other postures as seen in the temple walls and then the guru-shishya duo interacted with the walkers and motivated them to try out around 20 odd ‘mudras’.
Soumya, a child psychiatrist from Coimbatore, said, “I found the group online, but after joining it, I could discover how the temple design and architecture has influenced our culture and how ancient cities were enriched by these mammoth monuments.’’ She also added that the Odissi recital was also moving and inspiring.
Deepti Prasad, a Ph.D. scholar from University of Sydney who joined the Ekamra Walks Old Town Circuit, said, “I am doing my research on Smart Cities of India and as Bhubaneswar has topped the list of proposals and the city is implementing its proposal nicely, this heritage initiative of the Temple City has attracted me; and I, along with my parents enjoyed this heritage trail very much.’’
The 70th Museum Walk at Kala Bhoomi today had no musical program and pottery making session, but the walkers found the event engaging, entertaining and educative. They were delighted to see the collection of artifacts from pottery, terracotta to tribal designs and sarees all interesting and natural.
Additional Director General NCC Major General Sanjay Gupta and Commodore Shailender Singh from NCC Odisha joined the walk along with their families. The walkers loved the fact that the walk engaged with people in a way that would inspire them to integrate the craft culture into their lives either through their travel journeys or commissioning the artisans to create and thereby sustaining the community in a small way.
It was not the usual walk through galleries pinpointing the artifacts, but learning the stories behind the things on display in each gallery. A museum buff remarked that in his experience it’s perhaps one of the the best-guided museum walks in India today.