KISS Students Showcase Odisha’s Tribal Culture in Romania with Santali Dance and Shakespeare Performances

Bhubaneswar: Ten students from the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) are on a visit to Romania to participate in an international cultural festival, performing William Shakespeare’s plays in the tribal languages of Odisha. The excited students are engaged in extensive preparations.

This is for the first time KISS students performed the Santali dance in a foreign country. Previously, they had visited foreign countries mainly for sports events; however, they are now visiting European countries like Romania to showcase tribal dances and promote cultural exchange. More than 150 students from 30 countries participated in the event. The performance by the KISS students was highly appreciated by everyone present.

Under the fully funded Erasmus+ KA171 Student Mobility Programme, our students will be part of a two-month academic and cultural internship from 1st April to 31st May 2026. For the first time, students from KIIT & KISS will travel together as one group, learning and experiencing this journey side by side. They have already begun rehearsals and will be staying in Romania for nearly two months. This is the first time in India that students from any educational institution will be performing Shakespeare’s plays in tribal languages at an international platform.

The students visited and performed at the University of Craiova. Indian Ambassador to Romania, Dr. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra welcomed them to the university. Under his supervision, the students will stay and perform there.

The group includes students pursuing PhD, undergraduate, postgraduate, and BBA courses. In May, these students will participate in the World Shakespeare Festival to be held at the University of Craiova in Romania, where they will perform Shakespeare’s plays. On the global stage, KISS students will present three Shakespeare plays in their own native languages.

Similarly, ten students from the School of Electronics and Computer Science, Computer Science Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunication, IT, Film and Television Production, and Communication & Journalism of KIIT Deemed to be University have joined with them to perform Shakespeare’s plays.

Both students from KIIT & KISS together will perform in the Santali language the Shakespeare plays on Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet. The Santali language has recently celebrated its 100th anniversary (Ol Chiki script). The students will get a certificate for courses on Romanian culture and language.

This initiative marks a landmark moment in international cultural collaboration and is expected to significantly enhance the global visibility of indigenous Indian performing arts and academic-cultural partnerships.

Expressing happiness over this achievement, KIIT and KISS Founder Dr Achyuta Samanta congratulated all the students, saying that KISS students had earlier brought laurels to the country and the state by excelling in sports and academics at national and international levels. By presenting cultural performances, they will earn recognition on the international level. This is a moment of joy for everyone.

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