Bhubaneswar: The three-day state-level Folk Dance and Music Festival concluded at Utkal Mandap here on Wednesday.

The festival was aimed at providing folk artistes better exposure in the state capital. The event, hosted by the state culture department, witnessed the artistes showcasing their skills in various art forms such as jodi sankha, bajasal, pala, kui nacha, karmasani and tribal nagra dance.

The folk artistes felt the government should come forward in forming folk art academies.

"A government-run training institute will ensure that artistes get proper funds and opportunities to perform at various cultural festivals," said Nishikant Jena, a chhau dance artiste.

Another artiste, Gopinath Murmu, who staged dhangda dhangdi dance of Kandhamal, said: "An academic institution affiliated to a state university will give authenticity to our art forms."

Witnessing the folk traditions of various districts of the state was an interesting affair for the residents of the capital city.

For Manisha Jena, a 23-year old college student, witnessing the Karam festival of Sundergarh district was an enriching experience.

In this festival, the presiding deity is God Karam or Goddess Karamsani, who is represented with a branch of Karam tree.

In the ritual, people go the jungle accompanied by groups of drummers and cut one or more branches of Karam tree.

The branches are mostly carried by unmarried young girls who sing in praise of the deity.

State culture secretary Manoranjan Panigrahi, who was present at the event, said the government was conducting various district-level training programmes for budding folk artistes.