Berhampur: In a rare confluence of tradition and triumph, rural women sports winners of Odisha performed the dance ballet “Thia Puchi Naranga”. Many of them performed for the first time in their lives, on the same stage where internationally acclaimed artistes presented Odissi, Kuchipudi, and folk dance.

The day began with the sacred Sankha Dhwani by Sarat Mahapatra and a troupe from Narendrapur, setting a divine tone. “Phula Baula Beni,” a traditional rural sports song collected by the South Odisha Cultural Study Centre, and the distribution of Kakara Pitha delicacies added a true festive flavour of Odisha. ADVERTISEMENT

Odissi by Manasi Routray’s Chennai troupe, Kuchipudi by Guinness record holder JYN Ambica from Andhra Pradesh, Devi Abahani by Samhita Panigrahi from Bhubaneswar, a Be

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