Storytelling adds to Museum Walk’s galleries of events

Bhubaneswar: The visitors participating in the 20th Museum Walk at Kala Bhoomi today got an opportunity to listen to an interesting storytelling session on Ramayana along with the knowledge gathering on various galleries, music, Odissi dance at the amphitheatre and last but not the least, the pottery making experience.
The storytelling session, infused for the first time by the authorities of Kala Bhoomi with the Museum Walk was made interesting by Sujit Mohapatra, founder of Bakul Foundation and a leading literary organizer and activist from the city. He critically narrated the greatest epic of all time and spoke about the various adaptations by different authors and their treatment of subject.
Interestingly, the slides he presented to substantiate and colour his talk was adopted from a “patta chitra’’ painting already on display inside the traditional art gallery at the Crafts Museum.
The Museum Walk today was participated by over 60 walkers, but the entire fabric of the visitors, i.e. from kids to senior citizens and professionals enjoyed the storytelling session completely and the museum authorities are now planning to have more such special walks with the storytelling ideas mixed to them. Some interested walkers even asked today about the next storytelling session.
Anupama Sahoo, a teacher at the Bhagabanpur Government School near the city outskirts, who came with her family, said “I found the storytelling session very engaging and interesting and would love to bring the students from my school in future sessions to visit the museum.’’
Abinash Bairiganjan, a consultant said “the museum is very near to my own house, but anyhow I have not discovered its charm and I would come very often to explore every nook and corner of it.’’
Debadarshini Mohapatra, a craft designer who recently passed out from Indian Institute of Crafts and Design, Jaipur, Rajasthan, said “this entire facility at Kala Bhoomi will indeed expose many crafts tradition of the state. Today’s storytelling session was also very interestingly done.’’
Pradeepta Sundaray from Tata Trust, said “we are having many interesting crafts traditions across the state and several regional crafts museums could also be planned to include all the art and crafts items from Odisha.’’
96TH EKAMRA WALKS, OLD TOWN
The morning session of the Ekamra Walks Old Town circuit was joined by 30 walkers as they toured the entire stretch from Mukteswar to Ekamra Van showcasing the temples from 7th Century Ad to 15th Century AD and various sacred water bodies dotted around the Old Bhubaneswar locality.
The visitors were delighted to see the temple kitchen at Anantavasudev Temple, view of Lingaraj from Lord Curzon Mandap, excavated site of Saari Temple and the medicinal plant garden with over 200 medicinal plants.