BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the ‘Akhyara Bhoomi’ on the premises of Kalamandal in Bhubaneswar, on Friday, to commemorate the first World Odia Language conference that begins on Saturday.
The chief minister said Akhyara Bhoomi, done entirely in khondalite stone, has been aesthetically decorated with Odia alphabets to keep the love for the language alive. It is a unique display of Odisha art and sculpture. He hoped Akhyara Bhoomi will continue to inspire future generations about the great heritage and the glory of the classical Odia language.
Construction of the facility was supervised by 5T chairman V Kartik Pandian and the work was undertaken by IDCO. Culture Minister Ashwini Patra, MLA Anant Narayan Jena, MLA Sushant Rout, mayor Sulochana Das, principal advisor of CMO R Balakrishnan, Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena, development commissioner Anu Garg, principal secretary of I and PR department Sanjay Singh and Culture secretary Sujata Rout Karthikeyan were present.
Meanwhile, an art exhibition to mark the first World Odia Language Conference was inaugurated by sand sculptor Sudarshan Patnaik on the day. The exhibition, organised by State Lalit Kala Akademi at Buddha Art Gallery, features works of senior artists who are Dharmapada awardees. Painters D Muralidhar Tali, Rabi Narayan Naik, Ajit Keshari Roy, Anant Kumar Panda, and Asit Mukherjee, among others, are exhibiting their works. A total of 36 paintings are being exhibited till February 7.