Aarti Mishra and Pranab Patnaik sing devotional songs at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph pictures

Praises and pleas to Lord Jagannath reverberated for three consecutive evenings in the auditorium of Rabindra Mandap. Renowned singers came together as listeners found themselves lost in devotion.

Organised on the occasion of rath yatra by the state tourism and culture department and Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre, the musical soiree titled Guhari concluded on Sunday evening.

In the final evening, Biswanath Puja Panda commenced the proceedings with his rendition of Manima sunina hue mo dukha bare. His act was followed by singer Trupti Das. She paid obeisance to the almighty by crooning Dinabandhu daitari. Her subsequent rendition asked the Lord about his delay to come to his devotees’ rescue.

She tapped the emotion of a distraught believer brilliantly while singing Kaliya kanha bilambha kahin ki. The baton was then passed on to Alekh Samal, who sang Sobha bada singhara besa and Harinaam ganthi dhana that sought the Lord’s blessings. The curtains finally came down after Mahapatra Minati Bhanja sang a few devotional songs.

On the second day, noted singers such as Manmath Mishra, Suchitra Mahapatra, Sudha Mishra and Arabind Muduli presented soulful repertoires. Mishra chanted Bhuje tale mate rakha mahabahu — a hymn asking the deity for safety and security and Chandan lagi samaya, which spoke of the chandan yatra. Suchitra lent her voice to Ki sundara teen murti, a dedication to the divine trinity. Sudha sang a couple of songs including Aahe nilagiri tumha shri bujhe and Chaka nayan ku patita. Muduli concluded the programme on the second day with high-pitched recital of Kala shingha kahike ailore.

On the inaugural day, veteran Odia singers Aarti Mishra, Dukhishyam Tripathy and Pranab Patnaik had set the stage for the devotional event. Their renditions drenched one and all present in spirituality.

“We cannot go to Puri everyday to witness the day-to-day rituals there. Such cultural events make up for that. To see such veteran artistes perform is equally enthralling. Even the younger singers performed well,” said Satyajit Das, a septuagenarian.