Rabindra Sangeet performed at Rabindra Mandap

Rabindra Sangeet

lovers of Bhubaneswar got to witness a soulful evening of the music form at

Rabindra Mandap

recently. Organised to observe

Rabindra Jayanti

by people of the Bengali community in collaboration with the state government, the event saw passionate Rabindra Sangeet lovers and practitioners performing for the public.

Though the 158th Rabindra Jayanti was on May 9, the event had to be postponed due to damage caused to the auditorium by cyclone Fani. The event started with income tax commissioner Sarat Das and Odissi Guru Ratikanta Mohapatra lighting the inaugural lamp and garlanding the statue of Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore.

“We have been organising Rabindra Jayanti in Bhubaneswar for the past 33 years. Our organisation has been trying to propagate Rabindra Sangeet and create awareness about it among non-Bengali communities and next generation. In this event, we had individual Rabindra Sangeet recitals and a chorus, poetry recitation in different languages and a dance drama. People are showing a lot of interest and it feels great organising such events,” said Sudhansu Marik, secretary of the organising club.

He added that the Odisha government, which has named the auditorium after the Kabiguru, provided the venue for free. They had earlier established a statue of Rabindranath Tagore on the auditorium campus. “It’s rare to get a chance to listen to Rabindra Sangeet outside Bengal. It’s quite a different kind of experience to be here and listen to these passionate followers of Rabindranath Tagore and his creations,” said Snigdha Rath, a member of the audience.