The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya today (November 29, 2014) at Bhubaneshwar. The Mahavidyalaya was set up in 1964 by the then Chief Minister of Odisha, the late Biju Patnaik. Speaking on the occasion, the President said setting up of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya is continuation of a tradition wherein the State funds and promotes various forms and aspects of Indian art, music, dance, drama and culture. Inherent in this is the realization that our classical arts are our link with the past and, thus, both the foundation for our current thought and the platform for our future action. The President said that he was happy to note this great institution has been living up to its vision of popularisation and dissemination of Odia art and culture. The Gurus appointed since inception such as late Singhari Shyam Sunda Kar, late Shri Pankaj Charan Das, late Smt. Sanjukta Panigrahi, Dr. Bidut Kumari Choudhury and Shri Umesh Chandra Kar have been legends who have not only excelled in Odia art and culture but also been instrumental in propagating it throughout the world. The disciples who have emerged from the Mahavidyalaya such as Dhirendranath Mallick, Bhabani Charan Biswal, Subrat Pattnaik, Illian Citaristi and the late Gangadhar Pradhan have created a distinctive identity for themselves in the field of the performing arts. He said it is a matter of great satisfaction that the Mahavidyalaya has over the years lived up to the expectations it had set for itself. The President expressed confidence that this institution and its students will continue to excel in the performing arts.
