Bhubaneswar, September 25: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday wrote to Union Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel to accord classical status to Odissi music to fulfil the long cherished dream of music lovers of Odisha and that of India.
The Chief Minister said that Odishan music has a tradition of 2000 years and is based on Shastra and its own Raga.
Patnaik also highlighted the pioneering efforts of Odisha Government to get classical status for Odissi music at an institutional level like establishment of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre and Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi and Utkal University of Culture, way back in 1999.
