(From top) Meera Das and students of Tridhara perform Odissi. Pictures by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 27: When the gods of thunder and shower were invoked by Odissi dancers and singers at three-day cultural fest Barsha, the clouds started to pour blessing on the Temple city.

The inaugural musical evening at Rabindra Mandap on Wednesday made the heavy downpour romantically enjoyable for the audience as theme for the celebration was monsoon.

The fest began with a melodious performance by singer Susmita Das, who sang the romantic Utthuchi jhada meghara bhida.

Vivek Rout paid tribute to the legendary Akshay Mohanty by rendering his celebrated song Bhasa megha mun je.

The audience got immersed in the monsoon mood as special sounds effects took them on a journey through thunder, lightning and rain.

An enthralling dance recital by Sujata Mohapatra added grandeur to the event. With her graceful postures and rhythmic movements on a Hansadhwani pallavi, she captivated the viewers’ attention and then mesmerised them with an abhinaya on barsha choreographed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra and composed by Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi.

Thursday evening was also equally enchanting. Guru Ramahari Das’ recital of Barasa rasa nayana accompanied with light arrangements to bring the lightning effect touched the audience who kept applauding long after his performance was over.

Guru Nabakishore Mishra displayed an unusual ease in expressions and movements as he performed Kaibartya prasanga from poet Upendra Bhanja’s Baidehisa Bilasa.

Based on a mythological tale from the Ramayana, the story was about a boatman who took the trio of Rama, Laxmana and Sita across the Sarayu river.

While Guru Ratikanta Mohapatra was on the mardal, singer Rupak Parida wove magic through his voice that added to Mishra’s performance. Danseuse Rajashree Rout’s Ardhanarishwara on Guru Kelucharan’s choreography and Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi’s composition on raga malika was equally admirable.

The valedictory evening had an extraordinary performance by danseuse Meera Das, who regaled the audience with her rhythmic movements.

Apart from these known names ,there were many other performers who won the hearts of the audiences. Dasabtara by students from Tridhara of Guru Gajendra Panda was well synchronised and a treat to watch.

The Gotipua dancers from Harirajpur were specially outstanding and though they took stage late in the night, the audience remained glued to their seats to watch the young boys perform brilliant stunts through dance.

“Gotipua is amazing to watch. It should be propogated more aggressively in the cities too,” said Prashant Mohanty, a tabla student and one among the viewers.

Barsha is an annual event that is being held for the last 30 years by Chinta O Chetana.

This year, the event enjoyed the support of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), state department of culture and Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT).