Puri (Orissa), Mar 5: Russian artists staged here an enthralling cultural performance based on Indian epics to strengthen cultural ties with India.

The performances at the Russian cultural evening were amateur Russian artists.

"The cultural program is a part of the series of functions to be organised in both countries as the year of Russia and India during 2008 and 2009 respectively," said Deba Prasad Das, secretary, International Congress of Peace and Harmony.

The artists were excited to be a part of the cultural exchange program and said that the aim is to understand 'spiritual' aspects of both the countries.

"We want to build relationship between Russia and India," said Kunti Mala, a performer.

The evening started with a musical extravaganza with the Russian artists reciting sholkas (religious hymns) from Hindu scriptures.

The plays as well as the song and dance sequences were in Hindi, English and Russian languages.

The artists also staged a Bharatnatyam performance that enthralled the Indian audience.

The audiences enjoyed the dance and song performances based on Indian mythology and epics like Mahabharata.

"It has been very interesting and heartening to see these people come from a long distance like Russia and celebrate the friendship year of India and Russia," said P. K. Patnaik, a visitor.

For the Russian artists, it was an enchanting experience to perform in Indian dance forms. (ANI)