Bhubaneswar, Aug. 12: Incessant rains in the capital city for the last couple of days set the perfect ambience for the first-ever monsoon celebrations — Megha Utsav — organised by the culture and tourism department of the state. Renowned vocalist Shubha Mudgal and other artistes performed at the three-day festival.
Decorated with cutouts of clouds, the Rabindra Mandap resounded with monsoon ragas rendered by veteran vocalists on the opening day.
Veteran Odissi musician Ramhari Das’s recitation of ancient poetry was dedicated to the romantic mood of the rainy season. He sang excerpts from celebrated works of poets such as Jayadev, Kalidas, Jagannath Das, followed by traditional Odissi songs. Pramilla Mallick performed a repertoire of Rabindra Sangeet composed especially for this season.
The much-awaited performance of Shubha Mudgal started off with a rendition of raga Gaura Malhar, a monsoon raga, which the vocalist performed on a bilambit or slow paced, beat and during the madhyam or medium-paced cycle of beat went on to sing Dhoom dhaam ke aayi badariya. The sonorous voice of Mudgal reverberated in the auditorium.
The following day saw a mix of music and dance.
Guru Bijay Kumar Jena and Mohapatra Minati Bhanja regaled the aficionados with Odissi music, while performers from Odisha Dance Academy presented Odissi compositions welcoming the rains in two items – Barsha Varnali and Barsha Vishara. Ajay Dubey and his troupe from Patna gave the city a glimpse of the folk dance of Bihar’s Bhojpuri community.
Megha Utsav concluded with some impressive performances. Contemporary dance troupe Padatik from Calcutta dedicated their production Saawan to the rains. The use of artistic movements made the performance innovative.
The other major attraction on Saturday was Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna, whose deep voice earned him a good response. Artistes from Mayurbhanj were also appreciated for Jhoomer.
“There were no events this season when it came to the annual culture calendar and that is why the department came up with the Megha Utsav,” said Ashok Tripathy, secretary of the culture department.
