Bhubaneswar, April 10: In an attempt to promote Odissi music, the state government organised a festival in Mumbai yesterday.

At the Odissi Sandhya hosted at Bhavan's Cultural Centre at Andheri, a number of eminent vocalists from the state performed on rare raga-based compositions in Odissi.

Organised under the aegis of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre, the festival witnessed popular names from Odisha's music circle, including Keshab Chandra Rout, Rupak Kumar Parida and Laxmipriya Nayak.

Singers performed compositions from Geet Govinda. They mesmerised the audience by singing select verses from the work of the 12th century poet, Jayadev. A number of compositions based on ragas such as Gowda, Baradi, Panchama, Dhanashri, Karnata and Bhairavi were sung at thefestival. Instrumentalists

The listeners had a fulfilling experience. "We don't get to hear Odissi music often here. So, the festival was an opportunity to delve into some rare raga-based compositions. I also met veteran singers and took expert tips," said Barsha Mohanty, a resident of Powai. A workshop on Odissi music was also held where eminent musician Ramahari Das spoke about the history of the Odissi musical traditions and also gave a demonstration lecture.

"The aim of the festival was to help people learn about the various combinations of taal and laya used in Odissi classical compositions," said Sangita Gosain, the chief executive of the centre. "We will organise more such events in other parts of the country as well," she added.