Bhubaneswar, April 16: A celebration of various cultures of different regions of India was displayed at the annual Baisakhi festival.

The three-day festival began last evening at Rabindra Mandap with colourful performances by artistes from Odisha and other states.

Hosted by the cultural organisation Chinta O Chetana, the 36th edition of the event featured quite a few interesting dance recitals. A remarkable Gotipua performance gave the right kind of start to the festival. Local artistes presented striking acrobatic formations during the recital. The kids, dressed as women, were stunning in balancing themselves and other members of their troupe during the creative formations.

Artistes groomed by Gajendra Panda staged Odissi, which is an intrinsic part of the festival, on the inaugural day. The dancers portrayed a romantic tale of Radha and Krishna during the performance.

Dhemsa, which is a vivid tribal dance was showcased by the KISS students. Sixteen students staged the recital, depicting the social celebrations of Koraput and other tribal regions. Sattriya artiste Mallika Kandali and her troupe from Assam were also impressive on the stage. Sattriya is one among the eight classical Indian dance traditions.

Another attraction of the event was a sand art creation by young artist Subal Maharana. He portrayed the Nabakalebar events of Lord Jagannath in his artwork.

The viewers thoroughly enjoyed the performances.

"From the backdrop of the stage to the sand art, Lord Jagannath has been emphasised everywhere. It helps in establishing Odia culture that revolves around the deity. Also, it is wonderful to see artistes from various parts of the country perform their art forms," said Purnendu Biswal, an art connoisseur.

About 80 artistes from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, the northeast and other states will perform at the event, said a member of the organisers.

"We are glad that the event is growing bigger every passing year. Baisakhi is an effort to unite various regions of the country, because we share far too many similarities in our cultures and even celebrate New Year around the Baisakhi day," said Chinta O Chetana secretary Surendra Das.