‘Kalamandal’ to come up in Odisha capital soon

Sambad English Bureau Published On : May 9, 2015 at 2:43 PM Updated On : May 9, 2015 at 6:43 PM

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, May 9:

After a 12-year long wait, the ‘Kalamandal’, a one stop destination for all cultural activities in Odisha, will come up in the state capital soon.

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The foundation stone of this Rs 45 crore project will be laid in the first week of June.

As per the blueprint prepared by the state government, the Kalamandal will have 11 sections such as Lalit Kala Mandal, art and handicraft museum, Sangeet Kalamandal, artist’s village, heritage park, children’s park, landscape court, open air exhibition court, cafeteria, guest house and staff quarters.

A special air conditioned gallery will be built for art exhibition. A general gallery and open air space would also be kept free. The Kalamandal will also feature two exhibition theatres— one with a capacity audience of 2000 and the other with 500.

There would also be an open air stage with a capacity audience of 500.

Arrangements will be made for training session for artists in artist’s village and living in guest houses.

Once completed, the Kalamandal will be the heart of the cultural activities in the capital city and will share the burden with Rabindra Mandap. Availability of more theaters will also boost the cultural activities in the state.

A recent review meeting on the project presided over by Culture and Tourism minister Ashok Panda had revealed that the Centre, for the Rs 45-crore project, has sanctioned Rs 4.3 crore, the state government will bear the rest amount.

“We are trying to complete the project within the specified time frame. As the size and population of the city has gone up, the cultural needs of the people will also grow. The Kalamandal will play a significant role in the cultural sphere of the city. This project IDCO will build this project and The chief minister, in June, will lay the foundation stone of this project which will be undertaken by the IDCO,” the minister said.

It may be noted that the project was initially envisioned back in 2003 for which the Centre had provided Rs 2.3 crore assistance while the General Administration (GA) department had allotted 10 acre land near Gajapati Nagar for the proposed project in 2006.

However, the project was stalled following a dispute on the ownership of the land. Years later, the court declared seven out of the ten acres land free from litigation.

The project is now being planned to be built on seven acres.