Bhubaneswar, Nov. 1: The three-day Daskathia and Pala festival organised by the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi at Bhanja Kala Mandap attracted a large number of people.

The big turnout was good news for the fading art forms of the state that are seeking popularity.

At the three-day festival that ended today, the artistes were seen presenting legendary tales and folklores, all of which had a moral.

With the accompaniment of daskathia, a musical instrument comprising two small pieces of wood from which the art form has derived its name, Upendra Panigrahi and his troupe from Belagaon presented various mythological episodes in a conversational manner on the inaugural day of the festival.

Panigrahi, who is a proponent of Daskathia since 1963, feels it is extremely important that the urban masses are exposed to the long-forgotten ballads to broaden its audience base.

"People in the rural areas grow up listening to mythological tales, but the younger generations in the cities hardly know about folklore. It is important to conduct Pala and Daskathia shows in the cities so that the younger generation get to know about their ancient texts in an interactive manner," said the veteran artiste.

The Pala show by Abhaya Kumar Panda and his group from Jajpur was also enriching. His team comprised six artistes and they presented interesting tales from the Ramayan and Mahabharat along with the playing of instruments such as cymbals and dhols.

Panda said that presentation of the ballads should be encouraged in schools and colleges to encourage the unique art forms.

"Pala artistes had survived many years of struggle, but we are yet to get proper exposure in the urban centres. I feel we should be given opportunities to perform at various events conducted by educational institutions so that the younger generation gets a taste of Odia ballads. It would also broaden our employment opportunities," Panda said.

Featuring nine troupes - six Pala and three Daskathia, the festival aimed at bringing back the lost popularity of the art forms.

"We are putting a lot of focus on promoting the dying art forms of the state. Apart from providing them an urban platform to perform, we are also trying to promote them at a number of national-level festivals," said Dhira Mallick, secretary of the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi.