Pala Daskathia festival by Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi

Pala and Daskathia festival

In an effort to provide a boost to the dying art of pala and daskathia, Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi in association with the culture department organized a first of its kind three-day festival of the folk art forms in Bhubaneswar, which concluded on Saturday.

Twelve troupes of pala and daskathia singers from various parts of the state performed at the festival. Noted Daskathia artist Sudarshan Padhi from Hinjilikatu of Ganjam district presented ‘Niladri Harana’ episode from the Mahabharat to a thundering applause. This was followed by a traditional pala of ‘Naga Jyoti’ by Manorama Panda, disciple of the legendary pala exponent Jagannath Barik.

“Pala and Daskathia music is under threat because they are not fetching enough money. People are moving away from the music to earn a living because it does not pay. Their earning from ballad music is so seasonal that they are into odd jobs most of the year,” said Chitta Ranjan Mallia, secretary of Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi. (Source – The Times of India)