Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today inaugurated Purvasha Folk and Tribal Art Museum set up at Barkul near Chilika through video conferencing.
Patnaik said the museum will play a significant role in promoting, protecting and projecting the great cultural heritage of Odisha at a global platform.
The chief minister also launched the website of ODIART Centre.
"Had the weather permitted, I would have been very happy to be at the site for the dedication of this wonderful folk and tribal museum. I thank the Society for Development of Rural Literature for this beautiful endeavour," he said.
Stating that the art is the manifestation of our finer sensibilities, Patnaik said it culminates from the core of human heart. It gives our inner self an identity. It is not about shape or colours, it is all about our dreams, struggle, pursuits and soul searching that give a different meaning to our life, he said.
Odisha has a rich cultural and artistic heritage. The state has experts and practitioners of various forms of art and crafts, he said adding that the traditional, folk, classical and contemporary dance and music forms, and Odisha's tribal dance and songs speak about rich heritage and cultural identity of the state.
The Society for Development of Rural Literature has been set up to promote the cultural heritage of Odisha. The museum will preserve, protect and also project the rich cultural heritage for the posterity.
The society has also set up a documentation and research centre, and is organising folk carnival to showcase the state's inimitable culture.