Sambalpur Lok Mahotsav State’s Oldest Festival bring existence in a lost culture, yet neglected and lacks a place in the state calendar

Sambalpur: The Sambalpur Lok Mahotsav was started as the first forum in the state to revive the endangered folk culture. Later it spread to every rural part of the state. This stage has retained its uniqueness as a folk festival. Even though this ancient festival has not been given due recognition even today. Even from a national point of view, so far it has not been found even in the state calendar. In this situation, the demand for its national status has been strong this year. In 1997, the Odisha Folklore and Music Festival was started as a joint initiative of the State Culture Department and the District Culture Council.

• No Space in the state calendar

At that time, efforts were made to find and bring endangered folk art to the stage in the villages of various districts including Sambalpur. Since then, the stage has maintained its originality. This is probably the only stage in Odisha where only folk music is performed. The use of any electronic instruments or the performance of recorded songs or any modern-style program is strictly prohibited. The festival only performs folk songs based on endangered folk music, which are rarely seen on other platforms. However, well-known folk dance troupes from not only the folk culture-based districts but also from the state, country, and even foreign soil have come here to prove the excellence of their art. However, such a rare festival Lok Mahotsav did not get any official incentives or recognition. Even though there is a meeting of artists of the country and abroad, it has not been able to find a place in the national or state cultural calendar.

On the other hand, it is this stage that has led to innumerable festivals in the Purapali of the state. In this context, this year this festival has entered 25 years. This year, there has been a demand to place it in the state cultural calendar and recognize it as a national festival. This was also discussed in the executive committee meeting of the People’s Congress today. The committee has said that the Konark Festival as a social festival, 99 Parva as a tribal festival, and Sambalpur Lok Mahotsav as a folk culture festival have maintained their popularity in the entire state. From the Cuttack Baliyatra to the Konark festival, the state government has been giving grants in a heartless manner, and the intellectuals of Sambalpur have complained that it is being neglected.