The various performances showcased nature’s bounty, everyday joys and sorrows, rites and rituals,  epic tales of love ansd romance, with spontaneous human feelings expressed in simple language through a wide range of artistic expresions

nita vidyarthi 
Named after the famous  song, Rangabati  rangabati kanakalata ~ which has spread the word about the music and dance of Sambalpur ~ a three-day festival of the arts in western Odisha was organised by the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi in Cuttack, under the auspices of the state’s Department of Tourism and Culture. 
The festival is in its second year, and the skill and rhythmic expressions of the distinctive  folk art forms of 13 groups from the region were presented through three solo songs, six group Badya bichitras (male orchestras) and seven group dances, showcasing the beauty and characteristics of the people to whom they pertain. 
The event was inaugurated at Kalavikas Kendra by Mr Prassana Acharya, the state’s finance minister, who hails from Sambalpur himself. He lit the lamp in the presence of dignitaries such as Mr Sushil Kumar Das, the director and additional secretary, Department of Culture, who named the festival. Other eminent people included Mr Debashish Samantaroy, MLA; Guru Ramahari Das and Khirod Prasad Mohanty from Kalavikas Kendra; noted Odissi dancer and Padmashree Dr Priyambada Hejmadi; and Dr Sarat Pujari (president), Guru Aruna Mohanty (vice-president) and Mr Chittaranjan Mallia (secretary) from the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi. According to Mr Mallia, the main objective of the festival was to project, promote, popularise and encourage the wide range of performing arts in Western Odisha, and the artists responsible for it.
After a prayer of reverence, “Jai Samaleswariki Jai” to the residing deity, Goddess Samaleswari, the opening song ~ Ethenu khejuri khaili ~ by Mr Sarbeswar Bhoi, a talented  singer from Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi, ushered in the rich flavour of the music genres in Western Odisha. Traditional instruments such as the dhol, tasha, large cymbals called jhanjas, flutes and the khanjani ~ a sort of kanjira, or percussion instrument ~ layered the songs. A devotional duet, Ghanakaliya barajadhulia, that Mr Ruby Mohanty sang in praise of Lord Jagannath, was followed by Mr Bhoi&’s vibrant rendition of a love song full of rhythmic and lyrical alliteration ~ A jhikirre jhakuria ~ that talks about how the groom welcomes the bride into his family, telling her to keep eight promises true. 
The first Badya bichitra followed the opening  solo. Twelve male musicians from Dulduli Kalaparishad, Balangir, performed it with traditional instruments such as percussion ones like the dhol, nishan, khanjani, tasha, mardal and dhak, a muhuri, which is similar to a shehnai, stringed ones such as the ghuduki and chadchadi, and brass ones, for instance the jhanjar and kartal. 
Particularly interesting was a scantily-clad dancer with a ghuduki who moved in circles while playing the instruments with the song Ghanakey moremoner katharey. The artists had ankle-bells to support the rhythm.
Under troupe leader Paramananda Swain, the performers presented the Sambalpuri dance dalchai. Bedecked with bright clothes, flowers and smiles on their faces, both male and female dancers danced with aplomb.
Equally entertaining was the dance kalahandi, and the fast-paced singhari, which involved acrobatics by the male dancers, coupled with coquettish gestures from the vibrantly dressed female dancers. It blended ghumura, bajasal, banabadi and dhap, leaving the audience swinging to the rhythm. 
The first evening concluded with the resonating orchestra of Mr Jeeban Bhorasagar from Sambalpur, with his musical ensemble Maa Samaleswari Dulduli, who have been entertaining local music lovers for the past three decades.
The second evening opened with a Krishna bhajan, Tana tana re bansuri  bajuchhi, performed by Ms Sasmita Sahu of Sundergarh.
She ~ with her high-pitched voice ~ presented the different genres Rasarkeli, beginning with the ritualistic Rasarkeli go, and the amusing Mailajodh, dhuka maruchhey sai sai, mudo koruchhi bai bai (the wind blows strongly and the head reels strongly too). 
The musical ensemble for the evening was by the Bharni, Balangir and Kahar groups from Sambalpur, while the dances rangabati and jamudali were performed by the Paenri Institution in Subarnapur, and Sambalpur Kala Kendra.
The best was reserved for the final day, however, with legendary singer Bibhutibhushan Patnaik mesmerising listeners with tunes like Badpahachey, Kaliya nachey and Radharani raharmoni.
The orchestra by Maa Manikeswari Melody Group, Kalahandi, surpassed the others earlier at the festival, while the musicians from Sambalpuri Folk Akademi used near extinct instruments like the Brahmaveena ~ played by an octogenarian ~ and a simple bamboo sarangi and kirtan khol. Nataraj Kala Parishad, Balagir, presented the nachni tradition: the music and dance of Nuakhai celebrations such as Nuaguhal. 
The final, exhilarating presentation of rasarkeli and dalkhai, apart from mayuri sundergarh, was by Bajania, from Sambalpur. 
The different performances showcased nature’s beauty and bounty, everyday joys and sorrows, rites and rituals,  tales of epics, romances and love, with spontaneous human feelings expressed in simple language through a wide range of artistic expressions.
The dances were not careless, but energetic romps of people joining hands and forming rings with typical movements of the upper and lower torsos, with  delightful, well co-ordinated hip sways and hand-motifs by female dancers interweaving lines with the male dancers with such
precision that the performance showed considerable training,
and such beauty that it attains the plane of art. 
The dancers presenting the nuanced folk dances and songs from western Odisha were from leading cultural institutions and trained under seasoned  gurus. A fascinating feature was the decorated nishans, some with horns.
The kahar dance had performers wearing peacock feathers, the most attractive ones belonging to the Bajania group of Sambalpur. Suchitra Arts’s brightly coloured backdrop, and Jaidev Das’s multi-coloured light design complimented the colourful costumes and enhanced the appeal of the performances. 
All in all, the worthwhile, delightful and tremendously successful festival holds enough promise to travel across different venues in the future.