Bhubaneswar: Sixty people, including 27 foreigners, took part in monument hopping in and around the old city Sunday.
The 27 foreigners included 16 from Australia, two from France, one from Romania and eight Odissi dancers from California, USA.
Among others, armed forces personnel and bankers joined the weekly heritage walk showcasing the rich heritage of the Old City and enjoyed every moment of it, especially an Odissi recital at Art Vision, the dance institute founded by renowned Odissi and Chhau dance Guru Ileana Citaristi.
The team comprising 18 students from Australia and France came from the School of Vocational Education and Training at Centurion University of Technology and Management in the Capital. These students will be staying in the city for the next two months to complete their internship.
Jasmine Garnet-Carroll from Melbourne said the Ekamra Walks was a fantastic experience and she is overwhelmed by the experience. “We would be happy to have more such experiences ,” she added. The eight-member Odissi team from California was at the Ekamra Walks under the leadership of Revital Carroll, who has been performing Odissi for two decades. “We have visited the Monks, Caves and Kings Heritage Walks at the Khandagiri-Udayagiri caves Saturday and today we were at the Old Town circuit. As we are here to trace the origin and the different aspects of the classical dance form, today’s tour was indeed a great learning session for all of us. We will learn several things like how to make ornaments for dancers, how to weave and wear sarees used in Odissi dance performances and how the decorative headgear or `tahia’ is made. Our team members will visit different places to learn these,” said Revital.
PNN