The 56th Ekamra Walks started with a very good score on Sunday with more than 60 visitors turning up including 27 foreigners (16 from Australia, two from France, one from Romania and eight Odishi dancers from California, USA.)
People from three continents were there at a single city-based heritage event in the Temple City of India on Sunday, perhaps for the first time.
Among others, there were people from all walks of life, including also people from armed forces and bankers and enjoyed every bit of it including an Odishi recital at Art Vision, the dance institute of renowned Odishi and Chhow dance Guru Ileana Citaristi. Col Bijayananda Pattanaik, Station Staff Officer at Military Station Bhubaneswar and his wife Lipishree Pattnaik were highly impressed with the walk and especially Mrs Pattanaik as she was a trained dancer herself and were learning the steps with Citaristi during her early days from their Guru.
Neera Prasad, a retired banker from Bengaluru, who came for the heritage walk with her fellow workers, was very happy after the day's experience.
A students’ team of 18 from Australia and France came from School of Vocational Education and Training at Centurion University of Technology and Management (CUTM) in the city. The students were accompanied by Amiya Singh, Dean SoVET, CUTM.
An eight- member Odishi team from California was there at under the leadership of Revital Carroll, who has an experience of 20 years in Odishi.