“A six months fellowship from the Indhira Gandhi National Center for the Arts in 1991 and a subsequent two years fellowship from Ford Foundation in 2007 allowed me to make frequent trips to the villages of the Khorda area and to record the practice of the martial artists as well as interact with the local population, their history, culture and folklore.

It became quite evident from the very beginning that I was dealing with a rich tradition which was in a decline stage and needed not only to be recorded and documented but also revived and restored to its social and historical dignity.

I found tremendous enthusiasm and eagerness to demonstrate from the part of young and elders alike in spite of the adverse weather conditions, economical constrains and uncertainty about the future. I will always be indebted to all the artists who so promptly and generously demonstrated their art in front of me almost being grateful that somebody was taking cognizance of their existence.”

 Ileana CItaristi