Bhubaneswar, Jan. 15: From heritage walks to musical concerts, cultural extravaganzas were raining in the state capital this weekend.

Santoor maestro Tarun Bhattacharya was the attraction at the first monthly Music In Park programme of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) hosted at Indira Gandhi Park.

The santoor player showcased compositions that involved a lot of intricate ragas. The variations in the rhythms were noticeable and invoked varied shades of classical melody. Abhijit Banerjee accompanied him on the tabla.

As one receded to a low ripple, the other rose to a thunderous crescendo before synergising towards the end. Their jugalbandi won the hearts of the crowd.

Eminent musician Prafulla Kar, who attended the event, said: "Love for classical music binds us all. Such performances not only bring artistes together, but also promotes innovation in music."

Focusing on the Indian Army Day that falls today, a series of events were held during Patha Utsav to mark its 69th year.

Lt. General K.P.D. Samant and Major General Chinu Mohanty joined the event and spoke to the participants about various army issues, including the recent controversy over the quality of food served to jawans and the sahayak system.

"Children were seen with placards showing their gratitude and love towards Indian Army who are the real national heroes. Patriotism filled the air today," said 27-year-old PhD scholar Shahin Hoda.

A signature campaign for the jawans was also held, while children felicitated a few senior army officers from the state. Singer Ansuman Nayak's patriotic song was a hit among participants.

The weekly Ekamra Walk, a heritage tour for visitors to walk a stretch over 2km, was also held in the morning. The walk through the meandering lanes and by-lanes of the tradition-soaked Old Town included visits to Parsurameswar temple, the bank of Bindusagar Lake, Ananta Vasudev, Lingaraj, Chitrakarini, Vaitaal and Ekamra Van, the famous medicinal plant garden on the western bank of the Bindusagar. A number of tourists also attended the event.

Also, the Jatin Das Centre of Art organised its 200th meet - the artist programme event - yesterday.

Eminent artist and founder of the art centre, Jatin Das, interacted with artists about his vision for the Art Centre and art in India.

Senior artist Ramahari Jena gave a presentation on visual arts in Odisha while filmmaker Biren Das elaborated about the annual film festival hosted by the centre and its plans to host the festival in the last week of January this year.