The Pride & Glory Of Bali-yatra

Bali-yatra, as we all know, is a popular celebration of the glorious maritime history of Odisha, and ancient trading links in Bali, Indonesia.
And Boita Bandana, an annual riverside ritual that is performed by women-folk all over Odisha on the eve of ‘Bali-yatra’, is a symbolic commemoration of a traditional farewell that used to be accorded to the brave sea-farers of yore on the eve of their annual voyage to Bali – the genesis of Indian cultural influence in distant shores across South-east Asia.
The Pride & Glory Of Bali-yatra, an initiative of Resource Indica : Roots & Revelations, is a never-before multi-media project – on this great passage of time and glorious tides – that throws new light on the impact of Odishan tradition and culture that is visible on the face of the land in Indonesia and in the minds and hearts of people in the far away island of Bali, Indonesia.
The project was flagged-off during ‘Bali-yatra’ at Cuttack, Odisha, in November 2013; and this curtain-raiser was presented in association with Odisha State Maritime Museum, INTACH (Indian National Trust For Cultural Heritage) & Indonesia Tourism.
Thereafter, there have been presentations in New Delhi, Kolkata & Bali – in association with ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations), Asiatic Society, INTACH, Embassy Of The Republic Of Indonesia, New Delhi & Indonesia Tourism, Jakarta.
Now the project is being extended to cover ‘The Pride And Glory Of Bali-yatra’ Heritage Tours to Indonesia.
The launch event was held at the Embassy Of Indonesia, New Delhi, in March this year which was followed by the 4-day Kolkata presentation in June.
‘The Pride And Glory Of Bali-yatra’ presentation in Bhubaneswar, like in New Delhi & Kolkata, will include a Pictorial Exhibition, Coffee-table Book & Documentary Film – all of which were put together by writer, photographer and film maker Sudip Sen (Director, Resource Indica : Roots & Revelations) after much research on the subject and many visits to Indonesia to interact with people and shoot there.
‘The Pride And Glory Of Bali-yatra’ is the first of a series of presentations – an initiative of ‘Resource Indica : Roots & Revelations’ – that is driven by the glorious maritime history of India and fuelled by Indian cultural influence across South-East Asia; and one that is titled ‘Rediscovering India International Of Yore’.