Bhubaneswar, Sept. 15: Activities in the city's parks will no longer be limited to fitness or children's rides.
Now, visitors will be treated to classical music in the recreational areas. The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) in association with the Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Among Youth (Spic Macay), has initiated a programme - Music in Parks - as part of which concerts will be held on a regular basis.
The first such event will be held in the third week of December followed by another in January at the Indira Gandhi and Buddha Jayanti parks.
"The aim is to promote Bhubaneswar as a smart city, not only in terms of technology but also as a culturally vibrant and proactive city," said BDA additional commissioner (enforcement) Bhabani Sankar Chayani.
Senior officials of Spicmacay's Odisha chapter held a discussion with BDA vice-chairman Krishan Kumar recently to finalise the modalities of the initiative.
Artistes of national repute will be invited to perform at the programmes.
"We will decide on the frequency of the concerts depending on the turnout. With our rich heritage of dance and music, we have a large number of cultural enthusiasts as well," Chayani added.
He added that the focus was on developing parks that provided various facilities to the residents. The concept of musical concerts in parks is quite popular in cities such as Jaipur, Kochi and Indore among others.
Cultural organisation Bhubaneswar Musical Park hosted similar concerts at India Gandhi Park earlier.
The BDA has also developed a number of open-air and indoor gyms in the parks and given several others a facelift. The new parks to have these facilities include Madhusudan Park at Pokhariput, Kharavela Park at Khandagiri and Buddha Jayanti Park at Niladri Vihar.
"We also have plans to merge the Netaji Subhas Park in Gandamunda and the Madhusudan Park at Pokhariput and convert it into a 50-acre recreational space. In the process, this area along the proposed Dhauli-Khandagiri Heritage Corridor, will become a major recreational zone," added Chayani.
