Artistes perform sankirtan in Puri. Picture by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, June 3: Sankirtan’s popularity in urban Odisha got a shot in the arm on Sunday, when a three-day festival on the traditional devotional music began in Puri.

Organised by the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi, the national-level festival has attracted hundreds of local residents and tourists to the Saradha Bali open-air auditorium in the pilgrim town.

The festival was launched in Bhubaneswar last year to promote it in urban Odisha.

“We received a great response last year and so, we wanted to take it to places where listeners would enjoy it even more,” said Chitta Ranjan Mallia, secretary of Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi. “Kirtan used to be conducted in processions or on the premises of temples. We have tried to promote it as an art form and brought it to the stage,” he said.

Artistes of 12 troupes from 10 districts in the state and a troupe from Assam gave memorable performances on the first day. The regional troupes sang episodes from the works of age-old poets from the state. The Assamese artistes performed bhortal, a folk art form based on devotional music and dance.

Troupes from all 30 districts of the state will take part in the three-day festival. Performers from Manipur will present nata sankirtan and a team from Bengal will perform baul.

During the opening ceremony on Sunday, over 1,000 artistes walked from the Jagannath temple to the Gundicha temple in colourful clothing, holding props and musical instruments. At a seminar, participants discussed the declining popularity of sankirtan and suggested ways to change the scenario.

Local residents and visitors to Puri are thoroughly enjoying the festival.

“The energy of the performers and the messages in the songs performed are beautiful,” said Divya Sharma, a tourist. The festival will conclude on Tuesday evening.