(From top) Odissi dancers Aloka Kanoongo, Rajashree Praharaj and flute player Shrinivash Satpathy perform at the 31st National Barsha Festival 2011 at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 21: Musical repertoires and dance compositions marked conclusion of the four-day long cultural extravaganza at the Barsha festival.

The event that showcased eminent artists as well as promising young talents romanced the monsoon in its 31st annual edition held at Rabindra Mandap.

It was veteran musician Shantanu Mohapatra, who regaled the audience with some of his classic compositions on Friday evening.

The event went ahead with renditions by young talents such as Sursarita Rout and Bandita Ray, who presented songs based on monsoon themes.

Malavika Sen, a young Bharatnatyam dancer, showcased a solo recital based on the Sangeetam genre of the South Indian classical dance form following which she also dedicated a composition to the rains wherein the various aspects of the season were depicted vividly.

“The recital endeavoured to illustrate the different facets of the bond between nature and man, specially during rains,” said Malavika.

A session of ghazals was presented by Debasish Sarkar, who rendered some romantic compositions as well as few Hindi bhajans.

The audience loved the performance.

“The programme had a good variation of music and dance. While the performances of dancers Geeta Mahalik, Rajashri Praharaj, Gajendra Panda and Aloka Kanungo were delightful on the first three days, the concluding day was dominated by the performances of young singers as well as the ghazals of Debasish Sarkar,” said Manoranjan Satpathy, a viewer.

“The event was a success since we had received great footfall each day. Hopefully, we will make it even bigger next year,” said Ratikant Mohapatra, dance guru and a member of Chinta O Chetana that organised the festival.