The concluding day of ‘Baisakhi Utsav’ witnessed spectacular performances by musical stalwarts Rakhal Mohanty and Pranab Pattnaik
BHUBANESWAR: The concluding day of 40th ‘Baisakhi Ustav’ organised by Chinta O Chetna concluded on a high note at Rabindra Mandap here Wednesday.
Singer Pranab Patnaik, coordinator, Chinta O Chetna, Srikant Mishra, Surendra Das, secretary general, Chinta O chetna and Sahadev Sahu graced the programme. The event kick-started with ‘O Shree Jagnath Sandhya alati’, where the audience chanted Jagannath stotram along with the priest. All the guests lighted the inaugural lamp and were later presented with Angabastras and bouquets.
Addressing the audience Surendra Das said, “Today is the day of Mahaprayan of former chief minister of Odisha Biju Patnaik. He was a guiding force to make Chinta O Chetna the powerhouse of Odia culture. He was both supportive and sportive of this great initiative. None can take his place. The popularity he enjoys in the state is unparalleled.”
Singer Pranab Patnaik said, “Baisakhi is the time we wait patiently for rain. Rain mesmerises Mother Nature which in turn gives birth to music that is haunting and celestial.” The programme witnessed a musical extravaganza where artist like Rakhal Mohanty, Arjun Samal, Laxmikant Palit and many others performed on stage.
Rakhal Mohanty enchanted the audience with a song from Odia movie Akshaytritiya, ‘Sapana Mo Sarigala, Preeti Phoola Jharigala’ followed by ‘Mu Hajichi’ from ‘Suna Sansara’ which was sung by Arjun Samal. The performance received a rousing reception from the gathering. The audience was captivated when the siger rendered his voice to Late Basudev Rath’s ‘Emiti Rati se Ta Abhula Smruti.’ Sagarika rendered her voice to ‘Shravana re Sravan’ which too was appreciated by the audience. Pranab Pattnaik sang his hit numbers during the event.
Singer Laxmikanta Palit’s devotional song ‘Sree Hari Sreehari Dia Sree Pada Toli’ connected all Jagnnath lovers with the lyrics of the song. Interacting with Orissa Post, Palit said, “Apart from being a deity, Lord Jagannath is a cult in the heart of every Odia. Therefore, Baisakhi is dedicated to him and what can be more apt than a devotional song on Lord Jagnnath.”
It was the musicians who stole the show with their live performance. Sarat Pani on Tabla, Rabindra Barik on Dholak, M. Simadri on flute, Barada on Keyboard and Kiran Kumar on Guitar were absolutely flawless.
Students of Utkal Sangeet Mahvidalaya were also present during the event. Satabhisha Awasthi, a final year student of Odissi vocal, said, “These timeless songs by such stalwarts inspires us to do more ‘sadhana’ on music to be stage ready.”
