Orissa team for Indo-Japanese friendship promotion

Puri, Sep 11 (UNI) A nine-member Orissa cultural team has been touring various cities of Japan under the Indo-Japanese friendship club exchange programme.

Organised under the aegis of Chandra Shekhar academy, a Puri based socio-economic and educational body, the team includes artists of Gotipua, Odissi dance and music, sand art and representatives of 'Santana' a popular restaurant chain operating from both the countries, promoted by city lad Kuna Das.

His two hotels--in Kobe and Osaka--under the banner 'Santana' had been serving Dalma, Santula, Arna, water rice, Podapitha and other typical Oriya and other Indian dishes which were getting popular among the natives and Indians. Efforts were on to open more such food plazas in other cities of Japan, said Mr Das.

Recently the academy conducted two groups of Japanese folk art Iwami Kagura Nishimura-Kagura-Syachu of Hamada city (Shimane) and Yamato-shishi-taiko of Yamatokoriyama city which participated in the anniversary of Indo-Japan cultural union.

This year Japanese cultural troup visited Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath, and witnessed the famous Rath Yatra. The team presented stage shows in the open air podium at Konark, Rabindramandap.

The academy and the Santana group of hotels and restaurants were serving particularly Japanese visitors, here in Puri.

''The Japanese are taking interest in our culture,'' said Kuna Das, the promoter of the India Japan friendship club. The sculpting of 'Buddha' by noted sand artist Ranjan Ganguli and presentation of traditional Gotipua dance by small children in several cities was highly appreciated by the Japenese, he said.

Odissi ballets and solo performances drew heavy crowds in several stage performances, informed Kuna Das in.

UNI