(Thanks to Prof. Satya Mohanty for the pointers.)

Following are two excerpts. The first is from a report in Hindu on Puppetry.

BHUBANESWAR: New Delhi-based Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA), the apex body of performing arts of the nation, in association with the Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi (OSNA) would host a four-day puppet festival in the city in September.

… Scheduled to be hosted from September 8 to 11, it would feature all the four styles – string puppetry, glove puppetry, rod puppetry and shadow puppetry, he added. “Orissa is one of the few Indian states to have all the four styles of traditional puppetry but lack of adequate patronage has made these largely marginalised over the years. The festival would be an attempt to revitalise these dying arts practices of the State,” explained Mr. Satapathy.

The Central Sangeet Natak Akademi has expressed its concern over the rich but dying puppetry tradition of Orissa, he added.

Eight troupes – each style being represented by two troupes – would be invited to participate in this four-day festival that would include interactive seminars and workshops during the day time and performances during evenings. The thrust would be on documentation of the proceedings and deliberations on innovative ways to promote these ancient forms in the contemporary society, Mr. Satapathy hinted.

The following about Pala is from another report in Hindu.

BHUBANESWAR: The dying arts tradition of pala – the 400-years-old popular folk theatre of Orissa – has found a saviour in the Prafulla Pathagara of Jagatsinghpur district, one of the prominent cultural institutions of the State.

Gramya Sahitya Bikash Samsad – an offshoot of the institution engaged in conservation and popularisation of literature and culture in rural region – hosted a four-day State-level pala competition on its premises at Odishagarh last week, inviting 18 troupes from various parts of the State.

Six troupes were short-listed for the final round that awarded three winner troupes. “Our objective is to revitalise the marginalised troupes by hosting an annual competitive pala festival,” explained Pathagara secretary Bijay Pati.

… For their pioneering contribution towards popularisation of pala, Umesh Chandra Mohapatra (Baleswar district), Niranjan Roul (Jagatsinghpur) and Bhaskar Chandra Sahoo (Cuttack) were conferred Chhanda Bibhusan, Tatvabibhusan and Lasyabibhusan titles respectively during the concluding ceremony.

Lifetime achievement award – Chhanda Martanda – was conferred on Banamali Pati of Jagatsinghpur district on the occasion.

…  A deliberation on the revival of pala was a part of the festival that was chaired by Prafulla Pathagara president Hrudananda Samantasimhara and attended by Odissi music scholar Kirtan Narayan Padhi, Odissi dance guru Naba Kishore Mishra of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, advisor to the Pathagara and Commissioner of Income Tax Prasanna Kumar Das and writer-journalist Gourahari Das who delivered the key-note address.