Students of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya perform at their annual cultural programme in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, March 22: Sraddhananjali, a two-day cultural extravaganza, was held at the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya on March 17 and 18 to mark the institute’s 47th anniversary. The event, held at the institute’s auditorium, was a collage of music, dance and drama presented by the students.

Attended by well-known names from the cultural fraternity — Odissi music exponents guru Ramhari Das, guru Bijoy Jena, Odissi dance guru Naba Kishore Mishra and flautist Pandit Mohini Mohan Patnaik among others — the first day of the event was a carnival of classical music and dance, presented by the Plus Two and under graduate students.

It started off with a chorus devotional song composed and written by the students. This was followed by a solo Odissi vocal by a Plus Three final-year student from the Odissi department, Anil Kumar Mohapatra. He presented a vibrant rendition of raga Khirabani on ek taali. This was a joint composition of Guru Ramhari Das and Bijoy Jena.

The musical extravaganza went ahead with a mesmerising flute recital by Plus Three second year students.

The Hansadhwani recital by Kaviraj Pradhan was a soulful tribute to the young talent’s teachers. Following this, a group tabla recital under the Talavadya segment enthralled the viewers. The recital was directed by post graduate student Satyakaam Mohapatra.

Odissi dance by Plus Two final year student Rinku Sahoo was impressive.

The male dancer had remarkable control over the body movements and maintained a synchronisation of rhythm and expressions.

The youngster had also directed a Chutku Chuta group folk dance, the entire production of which, including the music, was by the students of the institute.

The students regaled the audience with their stellar performances.

“The students have worked very hard and it shows in the beautiful execution of each of the performances. They have made their teachers proud,” said Guru Ramahari Das.

“The students have done a commendable job with their innovative productions,” said Nabin Parida, principal of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya.

The students also staged a drama on the second day of the function. The drama revolved around the various facets of human emotions.