BHUBANESWAR: Make in Odisha Conclave 2018, a flagship biennial global investors’ summit, kicked off in the capital November 11. A tour of Kala Bhoomi, a crafts museum, was also conducted on the sidelines of the event.
The conclave is a watershed moment in the state’s journey towards industrialisation. Response of the investor community towards the event has been very encouraging as well. The chief purpose of Kala Bhoomi tour is to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the state to visitors of the conclave.
The museum features breath-taking craftsmanship from the state. Divided into 2 blocks, the museum has a display area and a live section. The display area features multiple galleries exhibiting handicrafts and handlooms from the state. On the other hand, the live section is equipped with an outdoor amphitheatre as well as separate workshop zones. The museum is built using local raw materials such as lateritic stone, which can still be seen in some of the oldest monuments around the state.
Two tours to this destination were organised Sunday to acclimatise the delegates to the rich craftsmanship on display. Firstly, a free walk of visiting delegates was conducted in the pottery workshop. Instrumental tabla and sitar were performed by various artistes to capture the imagination of the visiting delegates.
Puja Jena, a participant of the event, said, “It is unique initiative undertaken by the government. We are getting acclimatised to the rich cultural heritage of the state through this tour. Such tours can promote the diverse craftsmanship of the state greatly.”
An official of the museum said “Both the tours were extremely lively. The diversity of the visiting delegates was a match for the diversity of artworks on display at the museum. All of them got a chance to engage themselves and learn about handicrafts and handlooms of the state.”
This year’s edition of the conclave is going to have a much larger impact as 15 government departments have organised different sessions for different sectors in a period of four days. This would strengthen the proliferation of business networks and forging of new partnership. The expo at the event will showcase manufacturing prowess of the state through use of modern and immersive technologies by various firms.