(Top) Sudip Sen with Balinese dancers and (above) with friends in Bali. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 10: The Bali yatra trade fair, which began today, attracts lakhs of visitors from Cuttack and other districts of the state every year. While many eagerly wait for the unique fair that is linked with the maritime history of Orissa, Sudip Sen, who visits the fair religiously every year, has prepared a documentary and a photo collection by exploring its roots in Bali.

Born and raised in Cuttack, Sen, now 54, had always romanticised the fair ever since he paid his first visit to the historic Bali yatra as a kid.

“I was not even 10-years-old when I visited Bali yatra for the first time. It was an overwhelming experience for my young mind. The fair captured my imagination as I grew up in the Millennium City and was always curious to find more about the Bali connection,” reminisces Sen.

Though later Sen shifted to Calcutta, he was pulled towards Cuttack for the mega fair that is considered to be a celebration of history. “It is a living symbol of Orissa’s maritime culture. But I do not feel that much has been done to understand the significance of such a unique fair. Hence, earlier this year, I made a trip to Bali to dig the roots of the festival,” Sen says. “The revelations that surfaced from the trip are so thrilling, I wish to share them with all who love Bali yatra so that the spirit of adventure rekindles in the youth of the state,” he adds.

When Sen landed in Bali in June, he was surprised to see people there spinning the patterns of Cuttacki saris on similar fabrics. The miniature boats that are sailed on Kartik Purnima in Orissa are also a symbol of Bali’s relations with the state there. Moreover, artistes there perform similar dances and share folklores that are common in Orissa.

“There is much in common between Bali and Orissa. From their mythology to culture, the impact of Orissa’s maritime relations with them is still alive there. I have captured this in my documentary,” says Sen.

His documentary and collection of photographs will be released in December in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Calcutta, New Delhi, Djakarta and Denspar in Bali. “This project is my labour of love. I wish it strengthens the prevalent cultural ties between Orissa and Bali and also reawakens maritime adventure in Orissa,” said the researcher.